Unexpected
by Sassy Aloo
Summary: The story of a complicated romance and the adventurous lives surrounding it, told in a series of drabbles and short chapters. This entire situation was completely unexpected. SoraZack
1. Sleepless

**Warnings:** Nothing other than massive fluff.

**Pairings:** Zack/Sora. Yeah, I know.

**Sassy's Note:** I'm not sure how long this will go on, but expect at least a few semi-drabbles.

**Unexpected**

"**Sleepless"**

Sora lay in his bed, tossing and turning. He couldn't sleep. Kingdom Hearts forbid he have at least one peaceful night. He was tangled in his sheets and couldn't for the life of him get comfortable.

With an aggravated huff, he sat up and stubbornly kicked the sheets away. He blinked around the dark room slowly. He was completely alone. Honestly, that was probably why he couldn't sleep.

He reached behind himself for his phone and flipped it open. No new messages or missed calls. Damn it. He set it down again and rested his head in his hands. This had to stop. He had to sleep. Four restless hours a night just wasn't cutting it, and his friends were beginning to notice the toll it was taking on him.

Worrying his bottom lip with his teeth, he picked his phone up again and, slowly, began scrolling through his address book. He reached the entry he'd been looking for – the last entry – and his thumb paused over the call button.

He stayed frozen like that for what seemed to be an eternity, eyes locked on the name of the phone screen. He wanted to call, knew there would be no problem if he called, but… He flipped the phone shut, threw it on the pillow, and let out a frustrated noise.

He went through this almost every night, and no matter how many times he would pause over the call button, he knew he would never actually call. He didn't want to be an inconvenience, especially not at this hour.

But he really couldn't deal with this anymore. He was exhausted, and even when he was asleep, he was dreaming almost frantically about a pair of violet eyes framed in black hair. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it _was_ frustrating, especially since Sora couldn't do anything about it.

Well… he could, but he had a feeling doing something like _that_ wouldn't be very good. At least in the end.

Somehow, though, it was almost worth it in his mind.

--

Sora didn't manage very much sleep that night. Not that he'd expected to, but it turned out to be one of his rougher nights.

And that was saying something.

He yawned widely and fell back against the warm sand, squeezing his eyes closed. He'd be alone today, but that was entirely his choice. In fact, he'd had to work harder to be alone. Kairi and Riku both knew there was something bothering him recently, and they seemed determined to help him at all costs. As much as Sora loved human interaction, he needed his alone time.

He pulled out his cell phone and checked to see if he'd had any new messages or missed calls, sighing when there was none and pocketing it again. He stretched his hands over his head and let his body relax, feeling himself becoming drowsy. Lack of sleep catching up with him, he let out a breath and settled more deeply against the sand. Within minutes, he felt himself falling asleep.

It was right as he was hovering in blissful pre-unconsciousness that his phone finally let out a chime. It just so happened to be the chime Sora had been waiting for. Hence why he was fully awake in two seconds flat and yanking his phone back out. _1 New Message._ He flipped the phone open.

_Hey there, Prince._ From Zack. Sora sagged back against the sand and laughed. Finally… he wasn't forgotten. Unreasonable fear as he knew it was, it still loomed over him far more often than he – or Zack – liked.

He typed his reply – a standard 'hey' – and closed his phone, waiting intently on the next message, and when the phone chimed, he jumped to read it.

_Chu! Hey, do me a favor?_

Sora, a bit confused and intrigued, responded, 'Uh, sure.'

In less than a minute, he got his reply, and the smile splitting his face was brighter than it had been in a long time. He kissed his phone before shoving it in his pocket, rising to his feet, and sprinting across the sand, while the message rested in his inbox awaiting his reply.

_Get some sleep tonight, babe._

-end-

**Sassy**: All these will more or less be based off true events. Ja? Ja. I know the pairing is weird, but it has it's reasons.

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	2. Distance

**Unexpected**

"**Distance"**

"Tell me you slept last night."

"I did, actually."

"Good. My Prince needs his sleep."

"Oh please…" Sora blushed and grinned. "I get enough sleep."

"No you don't," said Zack seriously. "You've been snappier than you've ever been. That's not like you at all. And I noticed how tired your eyes looked from that batch of pictures last night."

Sora frowned. Not only because Zack brought up those pictures again – he was still a bit embarrassed about those – but also because Zack had the habit of being way too observant when it came to him.

"I'll try to sleep more," he conceded. "But it's not like I wasn't trying in the first place."

"I know. Just promise me that you'll close your eyes and really, really try?"

"Okay. I promise."

--

As he promised, Sora tried, but just as he imagined, he didn't find sleep easily. Actually… he didn't find sleep at all. He looked at the digital clock glaring at him from the nightstand. It was past one in the morning. He and Zack had hung up a little over an hour ago – Zack insisted Sora get an early night. Resigned, Sora had said his goodnight to Zack, knowing just as soon as he shut his phone that he would certainly not sleep easily.

He growled in the back of his throat and rolled over onto his side away from the clock, screwing his eyes shut stubbornly. He promised Zack! He had to sleep!

Twenty minutes later, he was still lying in the same position, not sleeping, not even getting any sort of sleepy, and he was more than a little annoyed. He was tired of this. Something had to be done. Something had to help him.

He knew why he couldn't sleep. He knew exactly what kept his mind occupied all hours of the day and night. He didn't know why his brain insisted on working overtime, but at least he knew what was wrong. It wasn't that he was _lonely_. It was just that he was _alone_.

It was quite sudden, but something in his chest just seemed to snap, and a second later he was flying out of bed. He gathered a few of his things quickly and shoved them roughly into a shoulder pack. He paused for a brief second, standing dead still in his dark room. Did he really want to do this? Was this worth it? He didn't want to seem desperate and clingy. Was he really going through with this split-second decision?

A single glance at his still, silent phone, and he decided.

Yes, he was doing this. It was worth it, and he just couldn't take it anymore.

--

Zack rolled over groggily and stared at the clock. What dumbass was knocking on his door at nine in the damn morning? He could just ignore it, but he knew it might be something really important. With a reluctant sigh, he shuffled out of his warm and cozy bed to greet the chilly air of his apartment. Stumbling a moment as his mind caught up with his body, he crossed over to the door and opened it slowly. The sight that greeted his sleepy eyes was… unexpected to say the least.

Sora stood there, biting his lip and looking sheepish as Zack had ever seen him. His hair was tousled – even more so than usual – and his eyes were tired, sporting heavy shadows underneath. Despite all this, however, the boy was smiling, and it didn't matter to Zack that he'd undoubtedly been up all night, or that he should be in a world seven hours away, or even that he'd shown up unannounced.

Zack smiled brightly at his young lover and pulled him into a warm, welcoming hug, heart melting when "I missed you" was whispered softly into his ear. He rubbed Sora's back, feeling the tensed muscles. The boy needed some rest.

"Come on, Prince," he said, pulling back and staring down into bright, happy blue eyes. "Let's get some sleep."

The cuddly nap that followed proved to be the best rest Sora had gotten in a long time.

-end-

**Sassy**: Ja? Oh, I wish… but I don't have the guts Sora does.

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	3. Leaving

**Unexpected**

"**Leaving"**

"Hey, come on… it's okay."

The words didn't comfort Sora. At all. He tightened his grip around Zack's neck.

He knew this time would come, but just knowing it didn't make it any easier. He hated the long-distance part of their relationship. If he ever had any regrets about agreeing to this strange arrangement – not that he did – it would definitely be this part.

He lived on Destiny Islands with his parents and friends. He loved his home world and would never trade it for anything, but…

Zack lived in Radiant Garden, a world seven hours away via Gummi ride from Sora and Destiny Islands.

Seeing Zack often was completely out of the question. Zack was working on an important project and could rarely get more than a day off. Sora… well, Sora's parents had no idea he had a boyfriend – an older boyfriend – waiting for him on another world, and excuses to keep flying off to Radiant Garden were running out.

He knew telling his parents might make seeing Zack a bit easier, but Destiny Islands was a small world, and he lived in an even smaller town. Word traveled fast, and his mother had been known to let things slip. Honestly, Sora didn't let the age difference or gender issue bother him, but he didn't want the entirety of his home to know that he was dating a man twelve years older than he was. Especially since Sora was only seventeen.

He held strong to the hope that after his eighteenth birthday this wouldn't be an issue anymore. He could stop hiding. It would then be no one's business but his what he was doing or who he was sleeping with. While he still had to remain on Destiny Islands after that – he was enrolled in Island University for the fall – weekends and holidays with Zack would be possible.

He had months until his birthday though, and it would be just that long until he could see Zack again, so of course he was more than a little upset.

"Sora… Sora. Look at me," said Zack firmly, nudging the boy back a bit and looking at his downward-tilted head. "Please?"

It took Sora a minute and more than a few deep breaths to look up and face Zack's deep, dark eyes. His own were swimming with unshed emotion. Zack bit his lip and tightened his arms around the boy.

"It's okay. We'll be okay. This isn't the end, ya know. We'll see each other again."

"Yeah… in a couple of months," Sora said bitterly, burying his face against Zack's neck again. "That's too long…"

"I know, Prince, but…"

Zack trailed off when he felt the wetness against his skin and just held Sora tightly as long as he could.

--

Watching Sora board his Gummi was hard. Watching him take off and fly away into the sky was even harder. But nothing hurt Zack more than seeing the boy's tears.

He stood there for a moment even after he could no longer the ship in the distance. He hated what Sora was going through, but they both knew how hard this would be when they agreed to give it a shot.

With a resigned sigh, Zack turned. He didn't want to go home yet; it would still retain little reminders of Sora's week-long visit.

Instead of heading to his apartment complex, he followed the stone path to the park.

-end-

**Sassy**: Ick. Sadness. Oh well, this is therapeutic for me.

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	4. Falling

**Unexpected**

"**Falling"**

Sora had been home from Radiant Garden for five days now, and he was thoroughly depressed.

His parents completely bought his excuse of a Heartless emergency and clean-up, so no troubles there. He had to spill to Riku and Kairi and the others the real reason for his sudden disappearance, but they totally supported him and understood. A few of them were going through similar issues – just not nearly as complicated.

But even if things were great at home, he still missed Zack. Badly. This was so unfair. He knew why they couldn't see each other often. And he hated it.

Among missing Zack so damn badly, he couldn't help but feeling a bit… jealous of Zack's friends, and he didn't know why. He didn't want Zack to just idle alone at home all the time during his very precious free time. He wanted Zack to go carousing with Cloud and Leon and Reno from time to time. It wasn't like Sora didn't go out with Kairi and Riku and the others a lot… So he didn't know just why he was so jealous of Zack doing the same thing.

Well, he had a good idea, but it was so unreasonable and childish, he hated to voice it aloud.

He supposed it came with missing Zack, but he was jealous because he wanted to be the one having fun with him. He wanted to go out and disturb the peace and laugh with him. But he _couldn't_. So… he was jealous.

And, damn it all, it just wasn't _fair_!!

His eyes teared up again and he cursed, kicking at the sand. He knew there was no sense in any of this, but…

But…

Sora stopped absent-mindedly drawing patterns in the sand beside him. His breath caught. His eyes widened. His heart pounded loudly in his ears.

For almost a full minute, he stayed frozen. Until…

A bright, shiny, _happy_ smile split his face, and the tears in his eyes seemed to vanish. He sprung to his feet and broke out into a run toward his home.

--

Zack hated this, and there was nothing he could do about it. He knew Sora was upset, had full well expected the boy to be upset, but it didn't make it any easier. He heaved a sigh and rested his forehead on his knees. The gently rolling waters of the sea were doing little to calm him. He didn't even know Radiant Garden _had_ a sea until a few weeks ago. He'd hoped that it would remind him of Sora and ease his mind. Well, it wasn't.

That was, until he heard a soft tinkle, like one pebble against another. He looked up and blinked bemusedly at what he saw.

Floating in the water a few feet in front of him was a small glass bottle. Jeeze, couldn't people at least _try_ to keep the water clean? And after all the hard work he'd been doing… He heaved himself up and trudged over to the water's edge, plucking the bottle out when he got there. He intended to grab the bottle and dispose of it properly back in town, but that's when he noticed a tiny slip of paper stuffed inside. That was odd… a message-in-a-bottle sort of thing?

Curiosity getting the better of him, he dug around inside the bottle and pulled out the slightly damp paper, noticing with a start that it had his name on it. Brow furrowed, he unfolded the little slip of paper and read the short note that was written there.

Two seconds later he was pulling his phone out of his pocket and punching in numbers as fast as he could. He held it up to his ear, heart pounding, and after a few rings there was a click as the line was answered.

"Hullo?"

"Sora… babe… I…"

"Uhm… yeah?"

"I… I got your message, and I… wow."

Sora laughed on the other side. "I love you," he said, bright smile evident in every word.

Zack smiled too and looked down at the note, seeing the words shine in the sunlight even as Sora said them aloud.

"I love you too, Prince."

-end-

**Sassy**: Uhm… Ja?

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	5. Loss

**Unexpected**

"**Loss"**

Zack's phone was ringing, and for the love of Ifrit he just couldn't find it. Of course, he was half asleep – it was early in the morning – but he knew that ringtone and he had to answer it.

After fumbling about for what seemed like forever on his nightstand, his fingers closed around his phone, and he snatched it up to his ear. "Prince?" he rasped, suppressing a yawn.

There was a sound on the other end of the phone, but it was not exactly what Zack expected. He sat up a little straighter in bed. "Sora?"

Instead of a response, there was a soft sound, almost like a squeak. At least, it was too high-pitched to be normal speech, and nothing came after that, but there was a soft sound occasionally coming from the other end, so Zack knew Sora was there.

Again, there was a soft, yet high sound, and Zack froze as something seemed to click in his mind.

"Sora?" No answer still. His heart plummeted.

"I love you, Sora."

This time, there came a sniffle for his response, shortly followed by a soft sob as Sora let go of the emotion he'd been holding back.

Zack stayed on the phone with Sora for awhile after that. He didn't know what was wrong; he didn't ask what was wrong. Instead, he stayed mostly quiet, occasionally consoling his young lover with soft, loving words.

Sora didn't say anything either. He wasn't bawling, but he _was_ crying, and the soft sounds of Sora's tears were breaking Zack's heart, but he just couldn't hang up on the boy.

It took some time, but Sora managed to calm down. Zack smiled as he rambled off a shaky apology.

"Okay, baby?" he asked.

"Yeah… I'm okay."

"Good. That's all that matters to me."

Despite how lost and alone Sora felt right then, he felt grateful just for Zack's presence. He loved him, and he needed him.

More than he would ever be able to tell him with words.

-end-

**Sassy**: Yeah. So why was Sora so upset? I dunno. Maybe his granddad kicked the bucket or he's just having one _those_ days. You decide.

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	6. Laughing

**Unexpected**

"**Laughing"**

"You're a brat, you know that?"

"No," Sora whined, throwing his arms around Zack's neck. "I love you!"

"Okay, that's it. No more coconut rum for you."

"But I likes it."

"But you're acting insane."

"I'm always insane," Sora giggled into the older male's shoulder.

"Uh huh." Zack fought back a grin and tried to shove the boy off.

"No," he whined again, smiling brightly while clinging as tight as he could to Zack's arm – which kinda hurt just a bit. Not that he would tell Sora that. He pressed his fingers into the boy's sides, laughing when he squeaked and squirmed. "No tickling!"

"I shall tickle you if I want to," Zack cackled. He slung his arms around Sora's back and pulled him fully into his lap. Sora snuggled his chest, sighing happily.

"I love you," he purred into Zack's ear, tracing his fingers slowly down the man's arms. Zack laughed.

"Maybe it was _not_ a good idea to let you have alcohol for the first time in my presence."

"Better than me being affectionate all over Riku," the boy muttered, nuzzling Zack's shoulder.

"You start propositioning Riku and I'm gone."

"_Nooo_… I love you."

"So you keep saying."

"Cause I do." Sora glanced up at Zack briefly to give him a wicked smile before attacking the man's ear. Zack made an almost pained noise.

"P-prince…" The word was almost a moan. Sora's warm tongue was tracing the upper shell of his ear when the boy laughed low and sensual.

"Hmm?"

"… nothing. Continue, please."

"M'kay."

Sora's tongue and mouth continued doing wickedly wonderful things, first on his ear then down his neck, across his jaw, and down to his shoulder. Zack was just about ready to throw the poor boy down on the couch and have his way with him when Sora froze quite suddenly.

"Sora?" Zack questioned, prodding his hip.

"Hmm?"

"What… uh… are you doing?"

"I…don't know… but there's a bug on the window over there."

"A bug…?"

"Yeah… little moth thing, and yeah… sorry, got distracted."

"… Shiva." Zack couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, which only got Sora laughing as well, tipsy as the boy was. "You are _such_ a brat," the man chuckled.

"But you love me!"

"Yeah, I really do."

But that didn't mean that Zack wasn't going to take the rum away from Sora.

-end-

**Sassy**: Coconut rum is awesome, you guys. Seriously.

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	7. Jealousy

**Unexpected**

"**Jealousy"**

Sora hated this.

He hated this not only because it meant he couldn't see Zack very often.

He hated this also because he never could beat down his jealously and irrational anger. He wasn't even sure _where_ this anger was directed. He really wanted to direct it at the wall – being that there was a lack of Heartless on the islands – but he knew Zack wouldn't like that _at all_.

Honestly, though, he was past the point of caring very much. He was tired of being upset and _emo_ about things he couldn't control and that shouldn't have upset him.

Zack, as Sora sat there ruthlessly tearing apart palm leaves, was in Midgar – his home world – on a trip to speak to some freak of nature Sora had never even heard of and never _wanted_ to hear of. This was fine with Sora. Zack had things to do. He understood.

But that didn't mean he wasn't jealous of the people who were spending the free time with Zack, and as Sora had noticed, his love had more than enough free time while he was there.

For this, Sora was happy for him. He didn't want Zack to idle around. It was the fact that Zack was happy and having fun without him that really got to Sora, and as childish as it seemed, he just couldn't shake the feeling.

He supposed Zack was doing okay. He was keeping Sora updated for where he was and what he was doing, he got a text every two or three hours. Sora was far from being neglected, but he couldn't help feel that Zack was being a little blind to his feelings.

They'd had this issue before - Sora's jealousy, uncharacteristic as it was, was a pretty big issue, if only for the teen himself.

He tried not to let Zack know just how he was feeling, but felt more than a little hurt when Zack rambled on excitedly about all the interesting things he was doing and seeing the people he had missed. It wasn't so much this as the less frequent 'I love you's and 'I miss you's and 'chu!'s that came with it. He knew Zack was busy.

He _knew_ it.

But he was stuck on Destiny Islands by himself – Kairi was off with her family and Riku was more than a little preoccupied with his new boyfriend – and, damnit, he just wanted…

He didn't know what he wanted.

Of course, Riku and Kairi brought up a whole new issue.

He would get messages from Kairi about how much fun she was having off with her boyfriend (or girlfriend – yes, that had happened twice now) of the day.

And every time he went out with Riku, the older teen would always return with at least five little slips of paper – all of them phone number from whomever he'd managed to catch the fancy of that night.

Sora himself got a few looks, a few bright, suggestive smiles, but it was nothing compared to Riku, who occasionally would keep a certain number he'd obtained, only to be going out with the guy the next night.

He supposed he'd known what he was getting into when he'd agreed to be with Zack, but sometimes Sora was jealous of Riku, too.

It was the teenager in him, he decided, but he wanted the frequent dates, gentle cuddling, and soft, casual touches that came with a relationship.

With Zack, this was impossible. They were seven hours away on a daily basis – eleven hours now since the older man was in Midgar – so… you see Sora's problem.

Sometimes Sora would like to respond to a look or snag a number himself, but it wasn't for any emotional attachment. He loved Zack too much for that. He just wanted… some contact.

That was understandable, right?

But he didn't want to be the stereotypical teenager. He wanted Zack, damnit!

Unfortunately, only time would be able to tell if he could one day have Zack.

As it would turn out, his cell phone began chiming. It was Zack. Sora stared at it for a long moment before answering it.

"Hey," Zack crooned at him, a smile evident in his voice.

"Hey."

"Whatcha up to?"

Sora shrugged even though he knew Zack couldn't see him. "Nothing.

"Joy."

"Loads of it. What about you?"

"Well, we're going down in the city and-"

Sora ripped about the palm leave with a new ferocity. Here Zack went on again, rambling excitedly, and once again Sora was _so happy_ he was having fun. He was just… jealous.

"Sounds fun," the teen finally said.

"Mm hmm!"

The two of them went silent. Sora could hear Cloud talking somewhere in the background and Zack chuckle in response.

"Well, I have to go now," said the man after another beat of silence.

"Yeah," said Sora dully. He couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Okay, talk to you later, Prince."

The pet name just made Sora's stomach turn over unpleasantly. "Yeah."

"Bye."

"Bye…"

No 'I love you' tacked on at the end. Zack was with more than just Cloud.

Sora sighed and shut his phone and after a moment to mull things over in his racing mind, he got to his feet, turned his cell phone off and jogged across the sand.

He felt sick, and suddenly an intense spar with Riku and Tidus sounded really, really good.

-end-

**Sassy**: Leave a review?


	8. Dreams

**Unexpected**

"**Dreams"**

"Hey, Zack? Why do you sometimes twitch so much when you're sleeping?"

"Why do I… where'd this come from? When was I twitching?"

Sora fidgeted with the corner of his sheet. "The other night. I'd never seen you like that before. You could barely stay still."

Zack on the other side of the line, twirled a pen between his fingers. (He should have been working on his report instead of talking to Sora.) "I… don't know, Prince. I don't remember…"

"Just a restless night, then, I guess."

"Yeah. I don't remember any nightmares. Not that night."

"What do you mean 'not that night'? Do you have nightmares?"

"… Sometimes," Zack confessed, wincing a bit.

"That's… that's not cool," said Sora lamely, albeit worriedly. Zack forced a chuckle.

"Don't worry about it," he said, trying for a lighthearted voice. "They're nothing like they used to be."

"Uh, used to be?"

"Yeah." The older man sighed. "I used to have night terrors."

"Night… terrors?" Sora went silent for a moment. "Why? You've always been… like, never bothered by anything!"

"Well, it's not like I consciously let things bother me, Prince, but…" He trailed off, looking for the right words. "I guess if I won't let them bother me consciously, my mind makes me worry about them unconsciously."

"Things… things like what?" Sora asked cautiously.

"Well… honestly, being rapid-fired upon by nearly the entire ShinRa army is not exactly a memory I cherish." Zack sighed, hating talking with his young lover about some of the more horrible things in his past. "And in my time as SOLDIER, there were some things I saw that were just as horrible as nightmares, but they're real, and some are still out there."

"Oh…" Sora squeaked after a few moment of silence. "Right… I understand…"

"Don't worry about, Sora. My nightmares are less frequent nowadays."

"Okay…" The boy didn't sound comforted at all.

"I haven't had any since I got with you, babe."

"Oh… okay." Zack could hear the change in Sora's voice and knew that he was considerably happier.

"So what kind of dreams have you been having recently?" he asked the boy.

"Uh… insane ones."

"Oh really? Like what?"

"Well, I did have one the other night that you turned into a Nintendo Wii."

"… Like, the gaming consol?"

"Yep."

Both of them were silent for a moment.

"Sora?"

"…yes?"

"Don't drink any more of that coconut rum."

"Hey!"

-end-

**Sassy**: Yes, I had a dream once that my love turned into a Wii…

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	9. Prince

**Unexpected**

"**Prince"**

Zack grinned as Sora hopped up on the balcony rail. The teen turned his face up at the star-filled sky, large blue eyes reflecting the light. "So I guess you like this place."

"Huh?" Sora glanced at him. "Oh, yeah. Thanks for bringing me."

"No problem," Zack took a few steps forward, leaning on his forearms against the stone Sora was sitting on. "You seemed like you really needed a break from everything."

"Yeah, I think I did," The young brunet tapped his heel on the stone. He looked shyly at Zack before turning his face back up at the sky. "Sometimes I wish I could just stop all of this, you know? It gets to me that while I'm doing all of this good and helping all these people, it doesn't seem to be doing much good. The Heartless are still out there and now there's the Nobodies…it's frustrating."

Zack twisted his lip and laced his fingers together. "Yeah, I get that but you just have to remember that in the end, this will all be worth it and hey, you've met some pretty cool people."

Sora laughed. "I wouldn't have met you."

"Exactly," the older man chuckled. "And what would you do without me?"

When Sora didn't answer, Zack frowned and turned toward him. Sora was studying him with a strange expression. After a moment, Sora blushed and cast his eyes down. "Sorry."

Zack angled his head. Something had changed between them over the past few weeks and he was afraid to acknowledge how. In the back of his mind, he knew what was happening but there were just so many complications…

Not at all comfortable with the silence that had formed, Zack found himself reaching a hand out toward Sora. The teen noticed this and looked at him curiously, almost as if anticipating something. Zack resisted the urge to touch Sora's face and instead gently took hold of the crown pendent the boy wore around his neck.

"When did you get this?"

Sora glanced down. "Riku gave it to me for my thirteenth birthday. He's kinda flashy at times and I think it's kinda…I don't know, too much bling but it came from him and it means a lot to me."

Zack nodded slowly in understanding. "You'll find him soon and then maybe the two of you…" He couldn't finish that sentence.

Sora shrugged. "I _will_ find Riku because he's my best friend and always will be."

Zack bit his lip. Sora had confided in him early on that he had a crush on his best friend and while that had been totally fine with Zack at first, he had slowly begun to realize that it was bothering him. Especially since he was fairly sure Riku did not return the affection.

"I don't think I like him anymore."

The ex-SOLDIER looked at him. "Really?"

"Yeah, I thought I did but," Sora licked his lip. "It was a silly little crush, I know that know."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

They fell quiet again only this time it was more comfortable. They both turned their faces up toward the stars and watched them twinkle in the night. After a few minutes passed, Zack found himself gazing at Sora again.

"You know," he began slowly, again reaching for the necklace. "The crown suits you."

Sora narrowed his eyes a bit in confusion. "It does?"

"Yeah," Zack released the pendant and let his fingertips run along the teen's shoulder. "You're the Keyblade Master which sorta makes you an authority when it comes to things involving the heart, like royalty or something."

"Uh, sure." Sora was clearly uncertain what Zack was talking about, heck Zack wasn't sure what he was talking about, but he moistened his lips and sighed a little at the older man's touch.

Zack rather automatically lifted his hand a bit further up and touched Sora's cheek. "You're like… a prince of hearts or something."

Bright blue eyes locked with violet-hued blues for a long moment. Something had definitely changed between them and neither seemed to particularly mind it. They weren't sure what it was but they were willing to let it play out however it would.

Zack dropped his hand and moved away from the rail. "Come on, Prince. I think it's time we head home."

-end-

**Sassy**: NOTE!! I did not write this. My love, _my Zack_, did. It turned out better than I ever could have hoped writing it myself.

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	10. Ice Cream

**Unexpected**

"**Ice Cream"**

Sora poked his head upstairs, grinning. "Want some ice cream?"

"Huh?" Zack asked absentmindedly, pecking a few more keys on his laptop.

"Ice cream. You. Want some?"

"Sure."

Sora sent his boyfriend an unseen pout face but scampered off down the stairs to retrieve the small tub of ice cream and two spoons. Ooh, chocolate chip cookie dough! His second favorite!

He bounded back upstairs. Zack was still glaring at the computer screen. Heaving a mental sigh, Sora plopped down beside Zack on the floor.

"Whatcha doin?"

"Another work report for Leon. I swear that man is trying to kill me."

"A work report? What kind of work report?" Sora leaned ever so slightly on Zack's shoulder.

"A schedule for my crew for the next month," the man huffed. "I swear… gives me the week off but gives me the most complicated paperwork…"

"Sounds like Leon."

Zack grunted and went back to pecking at the keyboard in frustration. Sora understood. It was hard to make a schedule without knowing just what had been done or what was being done. Hence the massive stack of papers Zack was rifling through obsessively.

Sora sighed and resigned himself to waiting until Zack got his work done. It wasn't like they hadn't spent a lot of time together… but Sora wanted attention _now_.

He seized the tub of ice cream and pried it open, shoving a spoon at Zack who didn't seem to notice. Sora dejectedly dipped his spoon into the creamy goodness and took a bite. At least the ice cream was yummy.

They spent a good fifteen minutes as such, Zack occasionally getting a small spoonful of ice cream, maybe only because he felt obligated. Sora licked at his spoon, bored. He respected Zack and his work, but still… he felt a familiar stirring in his stomach.

He wanted to play.

He looked from Zack to the ice cream in front of him, and slowly, a wicked grin broke out over his face.

--

Zack hated this, and he hated Leonhart. What was the point of a vacation if he had to do work? He hated having to ignore Sora.

He graciously yet maybe a little distractedly accepted the ice cream. It was good, and he wished he could fully appreciate it. Maybe if he sped through this report…

Zack was more than a little surprised when he felt cold on his arm, quickly dissolving to warmth and tracing a lovely trail up to his shoulder. He froze at the computer, completely still. After a moment, he heard soft snickering.

"Sora…"

"Mm?"

When Zack didn't respond, he again felt that sensation, this time on his shoulder and slowly traveling to his collar bone. He let out a pleasured little sigh, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back.

Sora was enjoying himself immensely. Taking another bite of ice cream, Sora went for Zack's neck this time, smearing the ice cream against his skin with his tongue then licking back along the path to warm it again. With another bite, he closed his lips around Zack's ear and the man jumped and gave a very un-manly shriek. Sora dissolved into helpless snickers.

"Are you okay?" he chuckled out.

"I… yeah," the older man breathed.

"Well do you want me to do it again?" Sora kissed his shoulder.

"…I don't know." Zack broke out into a grin, turning his head in Sora's direction. "You're evil, you know that?"

"Yep!"

Two seconds later, Sora had attached his wonderfully cold-warm mouth to Zack's neck again, and the man let out a groan this time. He wasn't sure he could stand this for very long.

Indeed, less than three minutes later he just couldn't take it anymore; he slammed his laptop shut and rounded on his young lover, who was smirking at him, licking a stray fleck of ice cream off his lips. Zack leaned in and licked at another spot at the corner of Sora's mouth.

"Missed a spot," Zack muttered, wrapping his arms around the boy and pulling him into his lap, sealing their lips together.

Zack was pretty damn sure he wasn't getting any more work done tonight.

That last bit of ice cream left in the tub melted with no one to notice.

-end-

**Sassy**: … ice cream is fun and Sora is evil.

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	11. Loving

**Unexpected**

**"Loving"**

Zack was not feeling well.

Sora could see that much on the man's face. His eyes were dull and shadowed; his face was pale; his hair was mussed up. The man slumped back against the mattress, covering his eyes with an arm.

"I… I'm sorry, Prince. I'm just… exhausted," he muttered. Sora's face fell. This wasn't exactly how he had imagined starting off their time together. He didn't want Zack feeling bad.

"It's okay," he said, resting a hand on Zack's arm and squeezing it lightly.

"No it's not, babe… I… grr."

"Don't grr," said Sora with a grin. "You've been busy and working hard. Haven't been sleeping either. I understand."

Zack moved his arm slightly and peered at the boy with one dark eye. After a moment, he shook his head and rolled over onto his stomach. Sora sighed and poked the man's back. He didn't react. With a frown, Sora shifted and straddled Zack's lower back, feeling him tense up beneath him.

"Sora, I don't think…"

"Shush, I'm giving you a massage."

Zack chuckled weakly after a moment. "Okay… I don't think I'm up for anything else."

Sora hummed then placed his hands on Zack's upper back and began kneading the tense muscles there. He felt his love tremble then melt under his touch, and a smile touched his lips.

By the time Sora was done some time later, Zack was considerably more comfortable. In fact, Sora noticed with a bright smile, he had fallen sound asleep. He supposed his massage had done its job.

Carefully as he could, he climbed off Zack's back and sat beside the sleeping man. He looked peaceful and younger than Sora had ever seen him. He was… gorgeous. Breathtaking, even.

Sora lay down slowly, facing Zack. He wanted to reach out and trace the smooth contours of the man's face, kiss the closed eyelids, brush the still lips. But he didn't. He wouldn't dare wake him now.

One of Zack's hands lay limp and upturned next to Sora. So, carefully and gently as he could, he fitted his hand inside and locked their fingers together. Zack slept on, and Sora smiled again.

He kissed Zack's knuckles and rested his head against the mattress, closing his eyes and exhaling.

He loved Zack more and more every day.

-end-

**Sassy**: Ja? Ja.

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	12. Fears

**Unexpected**

"**Fears"**

"You cook, I clean? This is so unfair."

"It is when you try to poison me every time you cook."

"I've cooked once!"

"And it'll be awhile before I let you try again. It was only in my moment of weakness that I let you attempt it."

Sora sent an angry pout in Zack's direction. The man just smirked back, stirring in the contents of the pot before him. He was fairly sure Sora wouldn't be _horrible_ at cooking if he had instructions… but memories of the pancakes of doom just really made him want to keep Sora ten feet away from the kitchen.

So Zack cooked dinner while Sora ran the vacuum and did the dishes. They had to keep the house clean, after all. Had to impress Sora's parents… especially since they had only met Zack two days ago. Granted, they didn't know he was sleeping with their seventeen-year-old son, but… details. They could wait. Zack wasn't exactly eager to sit through _that_ particular encounter.

Sora bounced around, vacuuming first – he _hated_ vacuuming – then starting on the dishes. Zack let dinner cook on the stove and just watched the boy. His eyes grew distant as he did the dishes, looking outside the window at the twilit sky. Zack knew he was thinking. Sora was always thinking about one thing or another, about his dreams or his plans for the future. Sometimes Zack worried he was holding his young boyfriend back. The Keyblader had so much more life to live… Zack didn't want him to be tied down to a man twelve years his senior…

Sora glanced over at Zack, blue eyes lighting back and grinning brightly at the older man. Zack couldn't help smiling as well. Okay, so he was worrying too much…

"You're not burning the food are you?" Sora asked, flinging a few forks in the dishwasher.

"Of course not," said Zack, getting to his feet to make sure he really wasn't burning anything. After confirming that he wasn't, he turned back to Sora. The boy loaded the last glass and closed the dishwasher, flipping the switch to turn it on.

"I'm done!" he said happily. "Just gotta put the vacuum cleaner up." He stretched, arms above his head.

"I got it," said Zack, grinning and extending his hand to slide up Sora's stomach under his shirt while his other arm encircled the boy's waist. They met with a deep kiss that left them both breathless and wanting more, but they had to behave.

For now, anyway.

Zack winked and tapped Sora's nose before grabbing the vacuum and rolling it into the utility room closet.

It was by chance, really, that Zack looked up when he did… that he saw what he saw…

And not two seconds after he saw it he screamed like a little girl and stumbled over himself out of the room and into the kitchen. Sora's eyes were wide and shocked as he watched the thirty-year-old man shriek his lungs out and crawl, horrified, across the tile floor.

"_Sora_! Oh my god, Sora!"

"What!?"

"It's… it's out there! It's… _horrible_!!"

"What the…" Sora slowly stepped out into the utility room and flipped on the light switch.

"Zack, what-"

"You don't see it?" Zack demanded, jumping to his feet and running over, hiding behind Sora and peering over the boys shoulder. "Look! Right there, by the dryer!"

Sora looked. Resting on the floor, only about the size of Sora's thumb, was a spider. A little spider. Zack was terrified over a little spider.

"It's… tiny."

"It's horrible and needs to die."

"I… oh lord, just kill the thing."

"No! You kill it!"

"… I cannot even believe this," Sora said and started laughing. Zack frowned.

"It's not funny! I _hate_ spiders!!"

"I never knew you were arachnophobic," the boy chuckled.

As Sora went to go stop on the spider's poor, delicate, and tiny little body, Zack stood well away, pouting.

"I have a lot of fears you don't know about, Prince," he muttered.

-end-

**Sassy**: Yeah… random and pointless but I nearly laughed my head off – as this is based off two real life events I have lived through.

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	13. Waiting

**Unexpected**

"**Waiting"**

Sora picked at the food in front of him. He knew he needed to eat, but he still wasn't hungry.

He glanced at the clock. Zack hadn't even been gone an hour… this was going to be a long wait. He took another bite.

By a glorious stroke of luck, Sora's parents went off on a business trip and Zack managed to sneak away from Radiant Garden for the weekend.

Sora could honestly say it was the best weekend he had had in a long time. It was an excellent way to see his summer out. Now it was back to stressing over books and student loans and classes he didn't want to take.

Whose bright idea was it to put him Advanced Calculus?

He shook his head and let himself smile. Troublesome as he knew the next few weeks would be, Zack's visit gave him hope and something to smile about when things got hard.

--

_Sora was lounging on the lawn chair out back. Okay, okay. He wasn't really lounging. More like fidgeting. Zack hadn't called yet, and Sora was sure he was supposed to be here by now. It was getting cloudy now. Sora really didn't want Zack to have to navigate through a stormy atmosphere to land._

_At every little sound, Sora jumped up and looked around, and after fifteen minutes of no Zack he was getting frustrated._

_It was because of this that at first he ignored the sound of an engine. It must have just been a car. But when the sounds got louder then finally died away, he sprang up and stood still, waiting. Sounds of footsteps could be heard around front._

_He broke into a run as a smile broke out across his face. He rounded his house, and it was as he saw the shiny green-silver gummi ship that his phone chimed with a message:_

_Let me in!_

--

Sora poked his food a few more times before just pushing it away. He'd eaten enough.

It wasn't that he wanted to be sad. He just knew that now it would be a while before he could see Zack again. They agreed on meeting again the weekend after Sora's eighteenth birthday. Sora had to admit he'd absolutely love to celebrate with Zack, but his birthday was over a month away, and that was just too damn long in Sora's book.

He didn't want to wait that long to see Zack.

--

"_Those people over there think you're drunk."_

_Zack threw his head back and laughed, arm tight around Sora's shoulders._

"_Oh well," he chuckled, pressing his cheek against the top of the boy's head. "They can stare and be jealous."_

"_Uh huh," Sora said, grinning, glancing over his shoulder one last time at the group of teenagers staring not at them, but just at Zack. A few of the girls were grinning dreamily._

_But Zack only had eyes for Sora._

--

Sora smiled. Actually, it wasn't that he was sad. More… contemplative. Sure, he missed Zack, didn't like watching Zack pilot his gummi away, but he thought he'd done better this time than he ever had before.

Not but a few tears as the gummi soared out of sight.

He glanced over at his bed, eyeing a few black hairs left on his pillow and taking a deep breath, still smelling Zack all over. He couldn't wait to be back in his arms.

--

_Sora stroked his fingers through Zack's hair, smiling a bit._

"_You have silver hair."_

_Zack chuckled softly, kissing the boy's knee. "Yeah, a few. Aerith found them too. She said that's why my hair's so shiny."_

_Sora singled out a hair and examined it. "All the random silver? Yeah… it's shinier than Riku's. It's nifty." He ran his fingers down the base of Zack's neck._

_Zack gave Sora a look and sat up, pulling the boy into his lap and kissing him hard._

--

Waiting was hard. Sora knew this. He'd done more than enough waiting this summer.

But it was because of this that he wasn't sad. He'd become excited. Things were only getting easier, and he and Zack had never been so close before.

It was only a matter of time… Then things would be wonderful between them. No more worrying or stressing or being alone. Soon.

Sora smiled.

All they had to do was wait.

-end-

**Sassy**: Waiting's not easy but it's not getting harder.

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	14. Pulse

**Unexpected**

"**Pulse"**

Sora pulled the blanket tighter around himself, inhaling deeply, for that musky scent was still there. It was comforting.

He didn't want to get up yet. This was his last week before his classes started, and dadgummit he was going to be lazy as hell. So he breathed in deeply again and closed his eyes against the broken sunlight streaming in through the window.

He dozed the morning away, enjoying his half-conscious state of comfortableness. He didn't have to worry about anything. He just had to relax.

It was nearing late morning when his phone finally chimed with the tone Sora knew all too well. It was just about time for Zack to text him.

His hand slowly crept out from underneath the blanket and grabbed his phone, and with bleary eyes, he checked the message Zack had left him. It wasn't quite what he expected.

_I feel sick_.

Brow furrowing and mind becoming clearer, he typed, 'What? Why?' and sent the message on its way.

For nearly ten minutes, Sora laid there, fighting away any lethargy that threatened to send him back to sleep. No reply came in that time. Sora thought about sending another message to see if Zack was okay, but knew that when Zack didn't feel well, he slept. Like a log.

So Sora rolled over onto his other side, closed his eyes, and let himself drift away back to sleep.

--

Sora managed to drag himself out of bed not too long after noon. Groggy as he was, he couldn't help but notice he still had no message from Zack. Shrugging this off – Zack was probably still asleep – he threw himself in a hot shower and went about getting ready for the rest of the day.

It was around three in the afternoon that Sora really began to worry. It had been over five hours since Zack's message and no word yet. The teen picked up his phone and stared at it hard, and after a moment he flipped it open and tapped out a hasty message: 'You okay?'

Relief coursed through him when he received a reply.

_Sorry, babe, I was sleeping._

He responded with a short 'I love you' and shut his phone. He hated when Zack was sick.

--

Sora talked to Zack briefly that day, and even then the man sounded tired. It was only after a few minutes of conversation that he left again to get some more sleep.

It was not the best day for either one of them. Sora fidgeted his time away while Zack slept, for the boy just couldn't think of a time where Zack had been _this_ sick. Sure, he'd been feeling a bit under the weather recently, sore and tired a lot. But he did have a lot of stress, and Sora supposed that was the cause.

The sun fell from the sky, and Sora hadn't heard any other word from his boyfriend, but he wouldn't text or call in fear of waking him. Zack would be okay; he was just having an icky day.

Sora jumped to attention when in the early evening his phone rang – Zack's ringtone. He snatched it up immediately and flipped it open.

"Hey," he said, almost laughing with relief.

"Sora." The voice was not Zack's, but Leon's.

"…Leon? What's…"

"There's a problem. Something's seriously wrong with Zack."

Sora felt his breath catch in his chest and heard his blood rush in his ears. His chest constricted almost painfully, and his hands shook with the shock of the news.

But his entire body went numb at Leon's next words.

"There's something wrong with his heart."

-end-

**Sassy**: Uh… ja?

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	15. Helpless

**Unexpected**

"**Helpless"**

Sora fisted his hands in his hair and doubled over again on his mattress, teeth clenched together so tight his jaw would have been aching. But it wasn't aching. Because right now the only thing Sora could feel was blind panic.

Zack's heart… there was something wrong with Zack's _heart_. It just… it wasn't right. A physical, beating heart couldn't be replaced. If there was something wrong with Zack's…

It was ironic. Ironic in a cruel, cruel way. His Keyblade could save the innocent hearts of an entire world's population. But it couldn't save the physical heart of the one he loved. It was the difference between a beating heart muscle and the manifestation of a heart, almost like a soul, only a soul had no manifestation.

A person could not survive without three things: a body, a heart, and a soul. The soul could never be damaged, was always intact, for it was the being of every person on the spiritual level. It was the lost souls that became ghosts.

The heart was the part of every person that represented the feelings, emotions, and will. As Sora knew, this was the element that could be as weak or as strong as the person itself, and could therefore be influenced and harmed. That's what the Keyblade was for.

The body was just that – a person's physical being from head to toe and everything in between, including the physical heart. And Sora's Keyblade had no effect on the body, not even the heart. It was the most delicate of human elements.

So Zack's soul would always be intact, and his heart was strong, but his actual _heart_… it was so delicate and weak… and if something was wrong with it…

Sora released the grip on his hair and tilted his head back as the tears began to fall again, hot and heavy and wet. He supposed he felt sick – his stomach was churning – but he still couldn't feel, not the way he was supposed to, not the way he should have been, but Zack's heart was in trouble.

And there was nothing Sora could do about it.

With a suppressed sob, Sora carefully lay down on his side, and with his eyes still streaming, he pulled his phone close to him and closed his eyes.

--

It was dark now, and Sora had awoken. He lay there, awake and staring at the moon hanging in the sky outside his window. He felt… lost and helpless. A problem with Zack's heart could prove to be fatal… and there was absolutely _nothing_ he could do about it, and that was something he was certainly not used to.

He looked at his phone. No missed calls or messages. Leon said he'd contact Sora once the doctors had taken a look at Zack, but no one knew how long that would take. Idling and waiting was driving Sora crazy. He knew laying here doing nothing was only making it worse, but he just… he just couldn't do anything. He just wanted to hear from someone _what_ was going on.

He pulled his notebook and pen closer to him and spent almost an hour doodling and writing random lines… random words… Zack's name over and over… His eyes welled up with tears again. With a great effort, he threw both pen and notebook to the side, trying not to look at what he'd written and slumping back onto his bed.

He just… couldn't believe this.

--

Sora was startled out of a sleep he didn't know he'd fallen into by his phone. He jumped and reached out, pleasantly surprised when he found his phone right away and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said, fighting away his grogginess.

"…Prince?"

That one word was like a rush of relief. That voice was damn near music to Sora's ears, and it was like he could finally really breathe again.

"Zack!?" he cried. He thought he just might cry again – out of joy this time – when Zack chuckled softly.

"Yes, it's me."

"I…yeah…"

"You okay?" Zack sounded concerned. There he was with some sort of heart condition, but he was still concerned for Sora. Well, that was Zack for you.

Sora felt two more tears slide down his cheeks, but he was smiling.

-end-

**Sassy**: There is no greater feeling of helplessness than knowing the one you love is in pain or in trouble and you can't do anything for them.

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	16. Always

**Unexpected**

"**Always"**

Sora buried his nose in Zack's neck and breathed in as deeply as he could, tightening his arms around him and squeezing. It was okay; he was okay now. They'd really be okay…

He felt the smile atop his head and tilted his head up, blue eyes shining with emotion.

"I love you," he whispered against the strong chest. Zack's smile softened around the edges.

"Love you, too, Prince."

For awhile they just stood close together, wrapped up in each other, enjoying this moment and taking it for all it was worth. The separation was not getting easier, and combined that with Zack's heart troubles… it was almost more than Sora could bear.

But they had this weekend, one more amazing weekend to be together before over a month apart. So they didn't rush the comforting embrace. Exchanging a few gentle kisses, they slowly made their way to the couch and snuggled together there.

Sora pressed his ear to Zack's chest, hearing and feeling the strong, slow beats. It was hard to believe that there was a serious problem with this muscle. It seemed so alive and healthy. Zack looked as happy and normal as usual. It was hard to believe that this may cost him his life…

Sora threw the thought from his head and pressed a kiss over Zack's heart before settling his head on the man's shoulder. A strong, warm hand threaded through this hair and massaged the back of his head. He smiled.

He wasn't sure how long they sat there together, just enjoying each other and the time they had. It was Zack who broke the comfortable silence with a soft laugh.

"You missed me, huh?" he asked, kissed the top of Sora's head.

"Yeah," the boy muttered. "Missed you lots."

"I know, baby. I missed you too." He ran a hand down the boy's back and massaged along his spine firmly. Sora felt calm and content for the first time in more than a few weeks, no worries to plague him right then. It was a nice feeling.

Curled together, comforting one another, Sora realized something.

He already knew he was in love with Zack, in love for the first time, but…

He'd never quiet realized how deep his feelings could run… should this relationship not last, Sora realized he would always, _always_ love Zack.

No matter what.

Sora pressed his ear to Zack's chest again, listening to his heartbeat.

-end-

**Sassy**: Pointless, I know. But I figured you guys wanted closure (for now) with Zack's busted heart.

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	17. Comfort

**Unexpected**

"**Comfort"**

"_School's gonna go just fine." Zack toyed with a lock of chocolate-colored hair. "You know that, right?"_

"_Yeah…"_

--

Sora sat on the large brick outcrop on the edge of the courtyard and sighed. He had almost a full hour until his final class of the day. By habit, he pulled out his phone and started texting. He gently closed it after the message sent and looked out across the courtyard.

It was so… surreal, being in college. Everything seemed different while at the same time seemed so familiar. He had classes to be on time to and books to lug around and study… but the environment was different. Few people knew each other, and they all seemed quiet and mature, almost distant.

This definitely wasn't high school.

His phone vibrated against his leg, and he checked his message. From Zack, of course. It seemed like it was just Zack and would be just Zack for a long time… In other words, Sora felt completely neglected by everyone else.

Kairi was away at art school, happy with her new girlfriend and loving all the attention she was receiving. She dropped Sora a line occasionally, but she rarely responded to any messages he sent her.

Riku was just… distracted. School, life, emo boyfriend… Sora understood this, but… Riku was supposed to be his best friend. Now Sora had been stuck on the backburner of his life.

Hence, Sora was neglected. By everyone except Zack. And he clung to him like a lifeline, his only constant in this rapidly-changing world. Sora didn't know if it was good for him, but Zack had become the center of his entire life.

First thing Sora did upon waking up was to text Zack. And text him again before leaving for class. And text him again when he got to campus. He called occasionally during long waits between classes, and sent a text when he was leaving campus. Once at home, they kept up a semi-constant correspondence via email. If one of them had to go out, the texting resumed. Every night they talked on the phone for at least an hour, usually about two. Sora would fall asleep missing Zack and hoping the next day wouldn't be horrible and he could get through it.

Zack stayed in his dreams.

Sora hung his head, not checking the message. He knew things would get better… he just had to wait it out… but he hated just having to go with the flow. He was used to being able to take charge and change things. This was so… different.

Sighing, resigning himself, accepting what he had to do, he flipped open his phone again and dialed Zack's number, returning his source of comfort, just as he knew he would be doing for a long while.

-end-

**Sassy**: College is… weird.

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	18. Premonition

**Unexpected**

"**Premonition"**

_Sora blinked in reaction to the harsh sunlight, feet sinking a good few inches in the mud. All around him seemed to be a wasteland, or maybe it was a junkyard… it was big, whatever it was._

_Far above his head, a large bird let out a sad cry. He glanced upward to see the bird quivering in the sky as it flew into the sun and out of his sight._

_It was hot, and he shed his jacket, tossing it aside careless. With a great effort, he pulled his foot from the mud with a squelch and took a step forward. _

_Then another._

_And another._

_Wow, this place was weird… around him trees seemed to sprouting and growing quickly and of their own accord, but they were gnarled and twisted, the bark rough, dark, and dead. _

_Immediately around him was hot and humid, but the further out he look, the thicker a haze formed, blocking his view of his surroundings. It pressed in on him slowly, and he could feel the unnatural chill lapping at his ankles, almost like cold fingers brushing against him._

_As he trudged forward, the mud disappeared, but the mist had moved all around him, and it was suffocating him. He was having trouble breathing; it was still hot._

_Soon, though, he forgot about his physical discomfort. He could hear things now, like footsteps, but they weren't his own. He was almost sure that if the mist rose, there would be people walking all around him, whispering and staring at him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end._

_It had suddenly become numbingly cold._

_He rubbed his hands together, looking around him nervously. He could hear someone talking… just ahead of him…_

_Then, he saw something._

_Fading in from the hazy mist was a small, perfectly round patch of charred ground. Inside the black circle sat a boy… a very familiar boy. He raised his tiny spiky head and stared at Sora with sad cerulean eyes, tears welling in them. Sora was frozen to the spot._

_The younger Sora sniffed once, a few tears falling down his rosy, chubby cheeks. He pulled his tiny knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, and even though watching his younger self in such a way was more than a little disturbing, Sora found himself wanting to comfort the small child._

_But when he took a step nearer, the child let out a piercing scream. Sora watched on in horror as the younger version of himself dragged his tiny fingernails down both arms, ribbons of blood blossoming from the quickly reddening welts. The present-day Sora let out a choked noise of alarm and fell toward the child._

_And, suddenly, the younger Sora was gone._

_Sora stood there, confused and disturbed. Oddly enough, his own arms were tingling with phantom pains of sharp, tiny fingernails. He noticed, too, that his cheeks were wet with tears._

_Taking a deep, calming breath, he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and forced himself to take a step forward. As soon as he did, the sweltering heat drove away the biting cold._

_He wasn't sure how long he walked after that. His surroundings never changed; the mist still hung hot and heavy around him. He could still hear footsteps and whispers, but they had become oddly comforting in the almost-silence. He accepted his ghostly companions. At least he wasn't alone._

_It was sudden, and it startled him, but a screech came from overhead, and he looked up in alarm. The large bird from before swooped down from the sky and cut through the mist. Amazingly, it faded away in its path, and Sora hurried to catch up with the bird. It led him… to a window._

_Cautiously, Sora approached it. The bird – a bright blue parrot, he could now see – settled on an overhanging branch beside the window. With a sideways glance at it, Sora pressed his face to the window._

_It was… like watching a scene from one of his nicer dreams. It looked like his bedroom, but it was bigger than he knew it to be. The furniture was the same, but the layout was different, and there were some of Zack's possessions as well…_

_Laying together on the bed – which was positioned beside a huge window through which the twilit sky could be seen – was himself and Zack. They were laughing and wrestling around. No sooner had one pinned the other until they had swapped positions. They exchanged kisses between laughs, nipping and biting each other occasionally on the neck and shoulders too._

_They looked happy._

_Sora's eyes filled with unbidden tears, and he looked away. The parrot though, squawked, and fluttered down onto his shoulder. It nipped his ear sharply, as if demanding attention. He looked at it, and it gestured a wing back to the window._

_The Sora and Zack inside had settled down on the bed, laying close together. They appeared to be sleeping. Sora watched them, feeling more alone than ever. If only… then he noticed something._

_The Sora in the window looked… older. He was definitely taller, and his hair was darker and longer. And the more Sora looked, the more he realized that they _weren't_ in his room. This was… how things may turn out._

_But…_

_Suddenly, the image was burning before his eyes. He yelled in surprised and stumbled back, landing in the mud and sinking a few inches. The window caught fire and crumbled. The parrot screeched and took flight, disappearing into the mist that was once again surrounding Sora. Only it wasn't stopping, pressing closer. So close, he couldn't breathe._

_He could hear the people talking and footsteps growing louder and louder. He yelled again, the world going black._

--

Sora stirred in bed. He opened his eyes slowly, noting a dull ache in his skull. With a sleepy groan, he reached for his phone to check the time. He'd have to be up in a few hours for class.

He threw his phone aside and rested back against his pillows, willing his head to stop hurting

It was probably a good thing he didn't remember his dream.

-end-

**Sassy**: …Yeah.

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	19. Stalker

**Unexpected**

"**Stalker"**

Zack's phone was ringing. With a quick look at its screen and away from his incomplete work site before him, he flipped it open and brought it to his ear.

"Hey, babe."

"Zack. Help me."

"What's wrong, Prince? Aren't you in class?"

"Doesn't start for another fifteen minutes," said Sora, peeking his head around the corner and out of the shadows of the stairwell.

"Okay. What's up?"

"I'm being stalked!" Sora said desperately, shrinking back into his corner as a group of people passed by.

"Stalked? Like, how?"

"There's this girl, right? Well we've been talking and stuff, and I'm like, yay, a friend! But now she's gone _totally_ crazy on me!"

Zack's brow furrowed, and he waved a hand at his men to take a break. "Crazy how?"

"She's, like, seriously obsessed with having sex with me! She keeps sending me all these text messages and winking at me in class… I told her I was seeing someone!"

"…what kind of text messages?"

"Nasty ones! Like, involving words like 'hot' and 'wet'… I don't want _anything_ to do with anything hot and wet!"

Zack sighed and brought his free hand to his forehead, rubbing his temples. "You made it perfectly clear you're not interested and are taken?"

"Yes! She's just… insistent."

"Unfortunately, there are teenage girls like that."

"I wish they'd stay away from me," Sora grumbled.

"Babe… you're a teenage girl's wet dream. You were bound to have a stalker sooner or later."

Sora, still crouched under the stairwell, snorted and fought away the blush that Zack couldn't see. "Uh huh. Well Snow needs to leave me alone."

"…Snow?" Zack asked, not sure he had heard right.

"Yeah. That's her name." Sora snorted again.

"…okay." So his competition was a chick named Snow, huh? Interesting…

"Yeah," the younger male sighed. "I wouldn't mind being her friend, but she is dying to get in my pants."

Zack leaned back against a nearby stone wall and gripped his phone tighter in his hand. Something about this entire situation… bothered him. "You know, Prince… this Snow girl may be good for you."

Sora was silent for a beat. "What?"

"Sora… think about it…" Zack took a breath. "She's a girl. She's your age. She's obviously interested…"

"No! Stop that train of thought right there," Sora demanded. He was not having this conversation. Not again.

"I'm not telling you to break up with me," said the older man calmly. "I'm just saying… it'd be perfect. You could take her home to your parents."

"I don't care. I'm with you, and I'm happy."

"Okay, okay." Zack was smiling now. "Then I have to say this. I don't _want_ to kick a girl's ass, but…"

"I'm hoping she leave me alone so you won't have to."

"We'll just sic Yuffie on her," Zack chuckled.

"Oh god, Zack… that's like a fate worse than death."

"Exactly. She's messing with my Prince."

"…true."

"I'll just have to remind you who you belong to," Zack purred suggestively.

Sora laughed. "Oh really?"

"Yah really."

"Then maybe I should get more stalkers."

"…that's not necessary."

-end-

**Sassy**: So there are some strange people all up in CBU… one of which is majorly obsessed with having sex with me and it's creepy. 0.o I've told him I'm take like a million times but he's still trying.

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	20. Implications

**Unexpected**

"**Implications"**

"This is gonna be hard."

"Yup."

"But we knew that when we started."

"Yup."

"I guess we're stuck now, huh?"

"Oh yeah."

"But I really don't wanna go through all that."

"Neither do I, Prince. Neither do I."

Leon snorted and shoved past the two of them. "You two put together complain more than Cloud could ever hope to."

Sora smirked, and Zack snickered. With a brief glance at each other, they psyched themselves up and walked into the rundown warehouse to continue sorting through the mess.

--

"Do you have any idea what they're talking about?"

"Not a clue."

"Wanna find out?"

"Not particularly."

"They're probably talking about us anyway… they are staring."

"Well we do stand out…"

"Yeah, two guys together in here is pretty noticeable."

Sora sighed and tried to ignore all the staring. What kind of world they had managed to get into this time? Sore never wanted to end up in a brothel ever again…

--

"Your parents are going to kill you when they found out about this, Prince."

"Don't care."

"I do. I don't want you dead."

"They won't kill me. Give me that _look_, maybe."

"Uh huh… it's not too late to undo it, you know."

"After all the pain I've already gone through? Hell no."

"If you say so…"

"You don't really mind."

"No, not really." Zack grinned and threw an arm around Sora's shoulders. "I like it."

Sora raised a hand and fingered the brand new piercing in his ear. "Good."

--

Crawling into bed that night – with Zack, luckily – Sora thought back to the past day… it had certainly been a long one.

Zack, though, welcomed the boy into his arms with a smile and held him close.

"Today's been strange," Sora said after a minute of silent cuddling.

"Yeah, I noticed."

"S'like… I dunno. Déjà vu, or something."

Zack chuckled. "I know what you mean, Prince." He kissed the top of his head. Sora, smiling brightly, nuzzled Zack's neck.

"Love you."

"Love you too, Prince."

-end-

**Sassy**: That was random… I'm actually not too fond of it either, but oh well.

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	21. Vivid

**Unexpected**

"**Vivid"**

Sora had chewed through four pen tops, and he was no closer to finishing his paper than when he started gnawing the first one.

His English Composition class wasn't hard. Honestly, he loved to write and hardly ever had problems with this sort of thing. This paper, however, had him completely stumped. He was required to compose a paragraph or two centered around the element of description. In other words, creatively describe something, someone, or an experience in vivid detail.

And Sora was stuck. He didn't know what to describe, much less know how to describe it creatively.

He sighed and spat out the twisted remains of what used to be an innocent pen cap and searched the immediate area for something else to chew on. He'd never had a writer's block last this long before.

He gave up on finding something to grind his teeth on, and leaned back, screwing his eyes shut in frustration. He just needed to think of something he could easily describe in vivid detail… but what?

The Islands? No… everyone was probably doing that.

Maybe a place he'd seen traversing the cosmos… no, he didn't think he could ramble on about anything like that.

A scene from his daily life? Like that even merited description…

He huffed, thoroughly annoyed. This shouldn't have been this hard.

It was as he was angrily jabbing his pen through his scrap paper that it hit him. He paused for a moment to form the idea in his head, then grinned and leaned over his paper, beginning to work.

--

_His body is limp and calm, free from burdens of the long, harsh day, face relaxed, eyes closed in peaceful slumber that I dare not to wake him from. He's gorgeous; hair soft as ever, shining silver-onyx in the delicate moonlight blanket that covers him. His eyelids flutter occasionally, proof he's lost in a dream, hopefully – though not eagerly – so far away even I cannot touch him. Around his eyes, though smoothed in slumber, the lines inscribed by his age are still visible, but it gives him personality. They are chiseled lines of his experience and pain and love and hate. I've traced years and years along his face with fingertips and felt the strain for myself, and it's because of that I can see the true allure of the sleeping man before me: the face, a resplendent mixture of Adonis and Aphrodite; the body, warm comfort and safety compacted into a single, breathing work of art; the hands, not soft, but not rough, almost like leather in the way he uses them; and finally the heart, the most beautiful, the hardest and easiest to see, the worst and best to feel, the most painful and most effortless to let go of._

_--_

Sora received top marks for that particular assignment.

-end-

**Sassy**: I really wish I could come up with something _really good_ for my own English Comp description paper.

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	22. Soon

**Unexpected**

"**Soon"**

A rather short black-haired boy of about fifteen carefully blew the dust off the leather-bound volume in his hands. He spared a few seconds to examine the name and date on the cover before turning it and casting his eyes across the page of familiar script.

He grinned a bit and flipped to a random page. Settling himself cross-legged on the dusty attic floor, he began to read.

--

_9/28/08_

_I said not too long ago that this was getting easier. Well, I was wrong. It's never been this hard._

_I'm eighteen now. I'm legally an adult and I can do what I please, but if I ever find the nerve to do what I want to do, I know it's almost guaranteed that my future will be ruined. At least for now._

_We both keep saying that soon things will be better, things will be easier, we'll both be happier. Well then, when's soon? How long do I have to keep waiting? How long until I can quit playing this game, until I don't have to hide, until things can be like they were?_

_Things were easier when the only thing I had to worry about was the safety of my friends and my own life. It seems like a dream now, you know. The Keyblade, the Heartless, the Nobodies… It's all so far away from me now, more distant than a memory. Everything before Zack seems like some elaborate movie scene from long ago. It's detached from me. _

_I'm not going to lie to myself. There are some moments I would love to forget. There are some I've repressed so much I can hardly remember there, and some I haven't repressed enough and still hurt. _

_Still, though, it was easier. I sometimes find myself wanting to go back, wishing Zack and I had simply remained friends. It would have saved us so much stress and strain and pain._

_But I know that things wouldn't be the same anyway. We all have to change, and the people we're with shape that change. I love the way Zack has shaped me as a new adult._

_I just don't love what we have to go through._

_But I love him too much to call it quits. _

_I'm holding out for the "soon" we all keep talking about, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it._

_I need to call him now. His voice always makes me feel better_.

--

The black-haired boy gave a soft chuckle and closed the journal he was holding. He traced the name plate on the front – _Sora Faustos_ – with a cautious finger, and entertained the thought of how amazing it was to read the thoughts of his father from over twenty years ago.

-end-

**Sassy: **I know, I know. You all can tell when Jedi's been to visit me. Expect emo-ish chapters… Least I have something nice to look forward to, yes?

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	23. Free

**Unexpected**

"**Free"**

"It's _so_ cute! I want one!!"

Zack smiled a bit and wandered over to where his young lover was cooing over a tiny chocobo chick. Sora's blue eyes were big and round as he stared down at the ball of yellow fuzz. Zack grinned and leaned over his shoulder.

"Aww," he said, resting a hand on Sora's side. "The little guy is pretty damn adorable." The younger male nodded vigorously and with obvious hesitation, moved away to the next exhibit. Zack ran his knuckles along the teen's jaw.

"I guess it was a good idea to bring you here."

"Mm hmm!" Sora grinned, bouncing with every step he took. "It's the most awesome zoo I've ever been to!"

"Glad you think so, Prince."

The couple fell into silence as they watched some more animals running around beyond the fence. Casually, Zack brushed his hand against Sora's, and their fingers intertwined. Both of them bit back their smiles. It was pleasant experience to be able to wander together, holding hands and free to be a real couple. Sure, some people disapproved, shot them furious looks while averting their kids' eyes, but most people passed right by, unnoticing or uncaring – either way, passing no judgment. This wasn't what either of them were used to.

So they soaked the experience up, almost constantly in contact, and loving every minute of it.

"Ooh! Free ice cream!"

Sora laughed as Zack accepted a small cup of homemade ice cream from a smiling lady. They found a shaded bench between some slightly overgrown bushes and sat there, Zack licking away at the ice cream and occasionally holding the spoon up to Sora's lips while Sora took a drink from his water bottle and looked around at the people passing by and the lazy animals in their exhibits. The teen couldn't have been more content.

The rest of the day dragged by enjoyably, watching animals interacting in the midday sun, eating semi-decent overpriced zoo food, occasionally laughing when Sora compared Zack and Cloud to an interesting-looking fish called a "Soldierfish" and when a nut from a blooming tree fell and hit Zack square on the head.

Upon walking around the entire zoo and deciding it was time to go home, they stopped by the front gate to pick up the obligatory beginning-of-the-zoo picture. They both smiled when they saw it: a close up of their smiling faces, sunglasses perched atop their respective spiky tufts of hair, arms around each other's shoulders as the people in the background passed by in total acceptance of them, even if they were unaware.

Weeks later, Sora glanced at the picture sitting atop his dresser and felt that same smile he'd had that day take over his face.

-end-

**Sassy:** Maybe not as pointless as it seems… it really is something for same sex couple to be a "couple" in public. It's a wonderful feeling.

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	24. Perfect

**Unexpected**

"**Perfect"**

The room is cool and dark, shut off from the outside world of bright lights and hoarse yells and unfriendly faces. It's comfortable, but unfamiliar – the stale air of smoke still hangs in the air, gathering around and infecting the two open bags on the floor, the books on the table, the laptop on the desk. The AC unit sputters occasionally, the low heat setting giving off the unpleasant odor of burning dust and tiny debris settled from months of unused.

The lights are all off, and it's only the light of the outside world cast around the drawn curtain that casts the few shadows in the room. And illuminate a pair of half-lidded, deep ocean eyes.

Sora's breathing is returning to normal – steadying with contented peace and lethargy. His body feels heavy and drained but satisfied, and it takes an effort to muster the energy to raise his head an inch off the bed to peer at his partner, who looks much more heavy and drained and satisfied than Sora has ever been in his life.

Zack's eyes are closed, and he's still breathing deeply, though no longer gasping for breath. The older man's body is covered in a thin sheen of moisture, slick and sticky from his efforts. Sora smiles and squeezes his thigh again with wet fingers. They could use another towel.

Zack chuckles a bit when he feels his young lover and pulls him closer, kissing the teen's forehead, and running a shaky hand down his back. His violet eyes open to catch the ocean-blue gaze.

"Damn," he whispers, shaking his bangs out of his face. Sora just smiles in agreement and buries his head in Zack's neck, breathing in that wonderful musky smell.

They lay there for awhile, sweat drying and bodies relaxing onto the bed, cuddling against each other, taking in every minute they can – preserving the moment in time.

"Six months," Zack finally says, smiling at Sora, who props himself up onto an elbow and grins lopsidedly.

"And here's to another six months," the boy speaks, squeezing Zack's thigh in a less-comforting, more-suggesting manner. The man's breath catches. "And another…" Sora swings his leg over Zack's hip and splays his palms on his stomach. "And another…" He rocks his hips, and two delighted sighs meet the movement. "And another…"

His voice is lost in the passion ensuing, twirling and tangling and dancing and swaying in a room unfamiliar, in a bed too hard with pillows too fluffy, in a hotel too warm, in a city too cold, on an island too far from a world too lonely.

Oddly enough, though, it's all perfect to the two of them – sprawling together, breathing together, gasping together, loving together.

Morning will come, and it will separate them once more, but Sora at least has a feeling deep inside that this perfection will last, and one day very soon, they'll be living together – among everything else.

-end-

**Sassy**: It's been forever, I know. Real life kinda hit me. Hard. I have bruises to prove it.

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	25. Sorry

**Unexpected**

"**Sorry"**

Sora's throat was driving him crazy. Stupid goddamned _tonsillitis_ needed to go away already. His head was killing him. The constant thrum of pain throughout his entire skull certainly wasn't doing anything to help his mood. His eyes were swollen and red and sore from crying. And he was cold with no one to warm him up.

He was curled on his side, staring blearily at the moonlit wall, not really seeing it. If he had been seeing properly, he would have noticed the way the wall shifted with every pound of his aching head. He was sick and needed his rest.

But here it was two in the morning, and he was not asleep.

He shouldn't have been alone and cold. The bed he was curled in and the wall he was staring at were not his own. He wasn't the only person in the house, but… he'd managed to start an argument that escaladed to the owner of the house storming out of the room for sanctuary on the couch.

He didn't mean to, he really didn't. He didn't feel well at all, for one. Secondly, he was frustrated at the lack of contact he was allowed to enjoy with other people – kissing and sex were totally out of the question until his tonsillitis cleared up. They were already pushing it with the cuddling. This, coupled with the fact that finals were looming down upon him, and the holiday rush was hitting him harder than it ever had…

He didn't know why he said what he said, angrily and without regret, on the urge to hurt Zack how he felt he had been hurt. Sick or not, it was uncalled for, hateful, inconsiderate, and Sora just wanted to take it all back. The look of blank shock and dawning anger on Zack's face was satisfactory – until with a furious _snarl_ Zack threw himself off the bed and away from his sick lover, slamming the bedroom behind him.

It didn't take long for Sora to get upset, then to start crying, which only aggravated his throat and got the headache pounding.

Deciding he couldn't take this anymore, he tossed the blankets aside and slowly got out of bed. His head worsened for a moment before settling back to a dull tattoo of pain. He was careful to tiptoe to the door and open it slowly so it wouldn't make that horrible creaking sound.

Out in the living room, his eyes searched the room for Zack, spotting his feet after a second at the end of the couch. Biting his lip, he softly padded over.

Zack was curled on his side, face set into a frown. Despite the chill of the apartment dead in the middle of winter, he had only a small throw slung about his hips. His arms were folded tightly over his chest, and his breathing seemed strained…

Tears welled in Sora's eyes. This couldn't have been good for Zack's not-so-well heart…

Timidly, he reached out and touched the man's shoulder lightly. A single glowing, mako-enhanced violet eye opened and locked onto him. He could see the hurt and anger still stirring there, and anything he may have said died in his sore throat, and he swallowed deeply, casting his eyes to the floor.

He stood there in silence for a full minute before opening his mouth to try again, voice strained and raspy, "I'm sorry." Tears threatened to fall again.

But a welcoming arm extended out and wrapped around his back to pull him down, and next thing Sora knew, he was settled against Zack's chest, the man's nose buried in his hair and arms holding him tight.

"I know."

This forgiveness – even if things were not totally righted yet – was too much for Sora. He closed his eyes, rested his head against Zack's strong arm, and let himself cry. Zack shhh'd his ear, kissing the back of his jaw and his neck and shoulder, nuzzling the back of his head occasionally.

"It's okay, Prince."

Somehow, Sora believed him, and let himself fall into blissful unconsciousness.

-end-

**Sassy**: I hate tonsillitis. It makes you do stupid shit.

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	26. Fixable

**Unexpected**

"**Fixable"**

"Need something? You haven't eaten in awhile."

Zack smiled tiredly and ruffled Sora's hair. "Nah. I'm fine for now, Prince." The boy nodded and settled himself more comfortably on the bed beside Zack, taking a moment to pull the covers higher on the man's chest. Zack chuckled at this; Sora was a right mother hen when he was worried.

"Shush, you," he said as the laughter faded away, but the boy was smiling. He raised a hand and traced two fingers down the other's cheek. "I have to take care of you when you're all sick and stuff."

"Eh… just a bad day," said Zack, rubbing at his chest. "I'll be fine tomorrow."

"Maybe, but your heart will still be sick anyway."

Zack winced; it was true. The strain on his heart wouldn't go away like the strain on his body would. As if to back up this point, his chest gave a particular painful twinge, and he drew in a sharp breath. Sora jumped at this and leaned over to press his palm directly over the ache in the man's chest. The boy could feel the muscle beating harder and more quickly than it should have been, and his blue eyes lost some of their color.

After a moment, Zack shook his head and removed Sora's hand from his chest. "I'm okay," he said, though his voice held no real conviction.

"Uh huh." Sora glared at him with a sort of angry concern.

"Well, for now I am," he conceded, then grinned at his young lover. "Don't worry so much about it, Sora. I promise I'll be okay."

"Good…" He looked down for a moment, then smiled. "Cause I don't have a Keyblade that could help you."

Zack laughed at that, rubbing his chest subconsciously. "No, this time you'll have to let someone else be the hero."

"Darn," said Sora, but he was still smiling. "Sucks that I have to be replaced by pills." The teen shot a glance at the prescription bottle over his shoulder.

Zack was quiet and thoughtful a moment before speaking. "Actually, Prince… there's something I haven't told you yet."

Sora's head whipped around and stared horrorstruck down at Zack, who held up a hand quickly. "No, no, it's… well, not necessarily good, but not bad!" Sora didn't relax, only let his eyes relax so they weren't quite to wide with alarm. The older male smiled softly and stroked a hand down Sora's arm. "My heart… it's fixable."

"Fix…able?"

"Yes. I'll spare you the medical details that I don't even understand fully myself, but the condition I have is fairly common, mostly hereditary, actually. I was born with it. The doctors were surprised it took this long to show up."

"But… it's fixable?"

"Uh huh. All I need is surgery." This only made Sora more upset.

"So it's just going to take one teensy little open-heart surgery?" the boy demanded.

"No! Not even open-heart." Zack sat up and tugged Sora into his lap to calm him down. "It's heart surgery," he whispered, resting his head on Sora's shoulder. "So it's a pretty serious surgery. But they won't even have to crack open my ribs. Just four incisions: a camera, two wires, and a snipper tool."

Sora fidgeted around before settling. "Okay… so… what happens?"

"They cut me, go inside to play with my heart, then stitch me up and I'm all better."

"That's… that's all?"

Zack smiled when he heard the relieved wonder. "That's _all_. Won't even take two hours, and I'll never have this problem again. I'll have to take medicine, but… hey, I'll take it over having a busted heart any day."

It took a few moments for Sora to process all of this. When he did, though, it was almost like an explosion.

"Whoa!" Zack yelled as Sora spun in his lap and knocked him back onto the pillows. He couldn't tell if the boy was laughing, crying, screaming, or – yes, he was serious – meowing. He soon realized, however, that no matter _what_ Sora was doing, it was a _good_ reaction.

"Wow… just… wow." The boy groaned after a minute.

"You okay there, Prince?"

"Yes, I'm just… relieved."

"Good. Uhm… were you meowing?"

"Maybe. Lost control of my vocal cords."

"That relieved, huh?"

"Oh yes."

Zack started laughing, feeling the twinge in his chest that would soon be gone for good.

-end-

**Sassy**: Happy endings to crises are made of win. Just ask Sora the cat.

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	27. Protecting

**Unexpected**

"**Protecting"**

Sora didn't understand. There had been no Heartless in Radiant Garden for years. Yet here they were, scurrying around and attacking the people, causing mayhem and destroying homes. But _why_?

"Sora!" Leon called his name from somewhere in the chaos. He snapped to attention and focused himself, and for the first time in nearly two years, let his heart produce his weapon. The Keyblade materialized in his hand, warm to the touch and familiar in a new way, like an old friend.

He swung his arm out once, pleased to feel the familiarity of the Keyblade as an extension of his arm. It was just like the old days.

With a nearly maniac smile, he ran forward, and the first Heartless fell to his blade easily. The rust of the fight came back to him, and he hurried to catch up with the others.

Cloud and Leon were working in a tight circle, and just above them on a raised walkway was Aerith, using her magic to keep them healed. Well that was a sweet setup. A short distance away was Yuffie, leading on a group of the villagers. They were making a good difference too. Sora jumped in the distance between these two groups and went to work.

It was like a dance long forgotten, some of the steps faulty and clumsy, but he moved on, becoming more and more graceful with every swing of his Keyblade. This was what he was born to do. How did he let himself lose this part of his life? Why did he let it slip away from him for so long?

A pained cry tore through the air, and his head whipped around, looking for the source. When he found it a split second later, his world turned upside down.

He didn't know Zack was there… the thought hadn't crossed his mind. He assumed Zack was managing the panicked residents. Zack wasn't in the shape to fight. His surgery was scheduled for a few weeks from now…

Zack was on his knees, doubled over. The Buster was lying on the ground beside him, dropped carelessly. His face showed excruciating agony, and his right hand was clutching his chest – his heart – as he gasped for breath.

Sora didn't have time to consciously react, but his body moved forward toward his Zack anyway, a cry of his own slipping past his open lips. Heartless dematerialized all around him without him knowing he was doing it. It seemed like an eternity until he reached Zack's side, and when he did, the man looked up at him, sweat running down the sides of his face. He made a noise, a possible attempt at speech, before his eyes went cloudy, and he collapsed.

Sora would have no recollection of the next few minutes. He heard the sounds of battle, of people yelling, of the Heartless screeching, but none of it registered. The sight of Zack's open, blank eyes as he lay there upon the ground, burned into his mind. He supposed he must have attacked the Heartless, there were none around him anymore, but he didn't remember it at all.

It was Leon who rushed over and knelt down beside Zack, a hand on his pulse point and the other on his chest. Leon's brow furrowed for a moment, and he stood up and shouted for Aerith, who came running moments later. She, too, knelt over Zack.

Sora just stood there, Keyblade still poised for attack, while they conversed in low tones that he couldn't understand. The adrenaline was still pounding in his ears, and the world didn't seem upright yet.

But if the world had been upside down before, now it had been flipped head-over-heels when Aerith looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "He's dying."

-end-

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	28. Contact

**Unexpected**

"**Contact"**

Sora felt so alone he could curl up in a ball and vegetate for days. He hadn't heard from any of his friends in weeks, his parents were gone on a business trip, and Zack was occupied with his workload.

Why was it so hard to get a little social contact these days?

He'd finished his homework, cleaned (most of) the house, beaten a video game and played _at least_ ten others, and now he was bored. And lonely. He'd messaged and texted a few people. No response.

He was about ready to beat his head out on the wall. At least dialing an ambulance would give him something to do.

He sighed and sank back down on the couch, clutching a pillow to his chest and semi-focusing on the movie playing before him. That Sayuri chick was crazy. Chasing after the same guy – much older than she was – her entire life… please…

Then, Sora frowned and flipped the channel. Stupid movie.

He sat there for awhile longer, trying to concentrate on a few different channels. In the end, he settled on a documentary about African elephants. Joy… because he _always_ wanted to know all about African elephants. What the hell was Africa, anyway?

He must have been dozing out of pure boredom. One moment he was watching an elephant take a mud bath; the next, he was staring at a paid program for Viagra. He blinked a few times, trying to think of _any_ reason an elephant would need said Viagra… proceeded to gag a moment, then flipped the TV off. All of this, and he still had way too much day on his hands.

He decided eventually to practice his less-than-stellar cooking skills. Nothing hard, just some cookies. He could do that, he was sure. Cookbook held firmly at his side, he began his task of conquering the cookie dough.

And they didn't turn out half bad. Sora grinned widely and munched on one gooey chocolate-chip cookie, glancing over at the oven at his second batch.

His phone chimed, and he blinked. Well, _that_ was a new occurrence. It wasn't even Zack's ringtone. Intrigued, and a bit hopeful, he flipped his phone open and stared at the new message.

_Whatcha up to? – Riku_

Riku? He hadn't talked to Riku in forever! Hence, he was more than a little bit taken aback. He typed out his reply – "Baking cookies." – and sent it on its way, nibbling his cookie thoughtfully. Maybe Riku was just bored with his new boyfriend and needed someone to talk. That sounded about right. His phone chimed again.

_Awesome. I'm there._

Okay… brow furrowed, excitement bubbling inside of him, he wrote, "Well come on. They're warm." He couldn't keep the big smile off his face. Not only was he no longer doomed to spend a Friday night alone, but he would finally be able to talk to Riku again. Words couldn't describe how happy that made him.

When his phone chimed again, he took only a second to look at the message before bolting to the door and throwing it open, barreling into the older teen waiting on the other side of it.

_No, seriously. I'm here. Let me in._

-end-

**Sassy**: Yeah. You didn't think Sora and Riku would stay separated forever, did you? Please… it'd be easier to get Kadaj to stop droning on about his mother. Oh, by the way, this takes place way before the chapter before this. Think of it as… a flashback. X3 We needed a little background for suspense.

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	29. Distorted

**Unexpected**

"**Distorted"**

"He's dying."

The words rang over and over in Sora's head, echoing louder each time. As it was, Aerith had said those words to him over an hour ago. The teen was pacing the hospital waiting floor anxiously. No news. Not yet. He didn't have a clue what was happening with Zack, and it was driving him mad. He supposed he should be thankful… no news was better than the alternative – bad news. But he still just wanted to know.

The phone in his pocket had been vibrating for a good five minutes before it registered in his mind. Slowly, he removed it and held it to his ear, not saying anything.

"Sora! Sora? Are you there?" Riku's voice bleated from the device.

"I'm here."

"Sora! I'm coming, okay? Just hang on, and I'm coming!"

"Coming?"

"To you."

"It's a seven hour trip, Riku."

"I can make it in three."

The click told him Riku had hung up, so he shoved his phone back into his pocket. So Riku was coming. He wondered why… Logic made no sense to him right now. Not anymore. Never again… if he lost Zack…

Time meant nothing to him either. No news for so long… he went into another state, a dreamland of sorts. The clock was moving, faster than it should have, but slower than his mind could process. He could see figures and shadows moving in and out of his line of view. One of them moved the way Aerith moved. One of them talked the way Leon talked. One of them sat beside him for a long while – this one just _felt_ like Cloud. He didn't know if they were real or not. He didn't even really know who they were.

"Sora!" a familiar voice barked suddenly from the doorway. The named boy looked up to see a Riku-shaped figure hurrying toward him. Had it been three hours already? The older teen's figure grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Hi," Sora said reflexively. Monotone. Riku winced like he'd been struck, and took a step back from Sora. He stood there a moment, pondering over something, then he reached out again and pulled the younger boy into a tight hug.

It broke Sora. He let go. The blurry figures came into view again, only to go blur over as his eyes filled with tears, and Sora completely broke down on Riku's shoulder.

"Not Zack… please not Zack… God, please not Zack." Sora actually heard himself saying the words, muddled by sobs and emotional cries, but he wasn't aware of forming the words at all. He heard Riku humming in his ear, like he would do every time Sora had a nightmare in their younger days. A nightmare… a living nightmare…

He couldn't lose Zack.

Distorted time moved forward. Cloud was still sitting beside the two of them. Aerith and Leon were around sometimes. Riku still held him tightly.

Then… a change…

From behind the pale blue double-doors, a man walked out, dressed in a pair of darker blue scrubs. He was pulling a pair of latex gloves off his hand. The occupants of the room stared at him.

"Sora? Sora Faustos?"

Sora made a noise, not really speech, but the doctor looked at him anyway.

For a moment, the man's eyes burned into the teen's, holding a promise of an answer, but they gave nothing away. Emotion overtook Sora again, and he jumped to his feet, demanding of the doctor:

"Is Zack okay!?"

-end-

**Sassy**: I felt kinda bad for leaving you guys at a mean cliffhanger… so here's a meaner cliffhanger! 8D

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	30. Repaired

**Unexpected**

"**Repaired"**

That one moment – no longer than a second or two, really – that it took for the man's expression to change lasted an eternity for Sora. There were too many possibilities, too many ways his heart could be crushed, too many ways he could feel relieved. But now there was no more waiting. Here it was. Here was the answer.

The doctor took a breath.

Sora's breath seized painfully in his chest.

Riku's hand was suddenly on his shoulder.

Cloud was on his feet.

Aerith was trying to control her rapid, uneven breathing.

Leon was tensed as if ready to spring.

There were other figures in the room now.

There was a clock Sora hadn't noticed until now, until every _tick… tick…_ became unbearable to hear in this strained silence.

He bit his lip, and prepared for the worst.

But the doctor smiled.

"He's out of surgery and into recovery."

The room breathed a collective sigh as Sora hit his knees, all the strength drained from his body.

"We were successful; the damages to his heart have been repaired."

Recovery… damaged repaired… Zack… Sora covered his mouth with a hand.

"Give him a few weeks to completely heal, and he'll be better than he ever has."

Sora titled his head to the ceiling and let the tears fall.

--

Distorted time was no more. Instead, time flew by. Sora picked himself off the floor, and before he could even demand to see Zack, the doctor was smiling again.

"He said to send you back."

The boy didn't have to be told twice.

The hospital walls were the same pale blue, and each matching door he passed had a brass plaque displaying the room number. Zack's room, of course, was at the very end of the hallway, which had given Sora's heart enough time to get worked up into a pounding frenzy. He didn't know how broken or how alive Zack would look…

He pushed the door open, and the first thing he saw was the nurse hovering around a massive machine. She smiled when she saw him and quickly bustled out of his way, muttering, "He'll wake up soon," to him as she exited. Sora nodded to her once and turned his eyes to Zack.

The man was beautiful in this sleep, despite the multiple wires running from the machine to his chest and arms, despite the slight bruising on the side of his face, despite that horrible hospital gown they had shoved him in.

Sora's face split into a huge smile as he looked on, focusing particularly on the way Zack's chest and rose and fell – evenly, gently, calmly. He wasn't fighting to breathe. And he never would again.

Sora seized the semi-comfortable chair from the corner and rested in it carefully beside the bed. Afraid of waking Zack after such an ordeal, he settled with stroking his arm carefully.

Finally… finally… this nightmare could end.

"Mmm…"

Sora looked up. "Zack?"

The man stirred, raising a hand – attached to tubes and wires – to his face and wiping his eyes sleepily. When it fell away, his groggy mako eyes were locked into Sora, warmth shining there deeper than the teen had ever noticed. His warm, large hand covered Sora's as he spoke quietly.

"You saved me."

-end-

**Sassy**: I know. I'm done being mean to you guys. For now. Until then, choke on some fluff.

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	31. Rescued

**Unexpected**

"**Rescued"**

Sora smiled at the man lying in the bed before him. "I saved you, huh? I didn't think I was doing much good having a breakdown in the waiting room."

Zack chuckled softly and quietly. "You saved me just by being, Prince. You don't… it was as terrifying for me as it was for you." The violet-hued mako eyes filled with a wary, molten fear, and Sora didn't argue with that statement.

"I… I knew I shouldn't have been on the battlefield, but… I couldn't stand the thought of just being passive while all my friends were out there. I thought I'd be okay, I really did." The hand on Sora's tightened weakly. "It was like… like my heart was exploding. It hurt so bad, Sora, and the only thing I could think of was what you would do if I died."

They were both silent for a moment. Sora was fighting back the lump in his throat and searching for _anything_ to say. Zack took a slow, deep breath and continued.

"I don't remember getting here. I don't remember being prepped for surgery, but I do remember waking up in the middle. I couldn't feel any pain, but I could hear them talking, and I could feel my heart. One minute it was hardly beating. The next it was racing. One of the nurses kept telling me to fight, to live. I guess I came close to not making it. Whenever she would say something to me, I just thought about you, and I would stabilize, and they could continue with… whatever they were doing in here."

He nudged the blankets down and shifted the gown with his free hand. Taped to Zack's chest were four little bandages. Sora carefully reached out traced the red, enflamed skin around them.

"Doesn't look like much, does it?" Zack asked, smiling slightly. Sora nodded and removed his hand before he managed to hurt him. "Almost five hours of surgery and this is all I have to show. At least they could have given me a cool scar to show off."

Of course. Good ole Zack, making jokes after nearly dying. Sora exhaled a short laugh. "I think you have enough scars."

"Didn't say I was complaining or anything." Zack sighed, sounding suddenly exhausted. "I'm just glad it's over."

"Me too."

"You didn't have too bad a breakdown, did you?"

"I didn't kill anyone or cause any harm to myself or others. Riku may need a new shirt, though…"

"Oh, the poor boy."

Sora smiled and laid his head down on the mattress beside Zack, who immediately tangled his fingers in the chocolate spikes of hair. They were silent for awhile, content with each others' presence and the warm looks they kept giving. The worst was behind them now. They didn't have to be scared anymore.

Zack yawned and rubbed at a bandage – they were itchy. Sora's head rose.

"Sleepy?"

"Hell yes, I am."

The teen smiled softly. "Then sleep. I'll be quiet."

"M'kay," the man murmured, but tugged weakly on Sora's hand. "Only if you sleep with me."

"I won't go anywhere."

"Nooo, I mean _with_ me." Zack patted the stiff hospital bed. "There's enough room."

"But… but what if the doctor…"

"Doc did his job, now he can go to hell."

"…"

"I don't like doctors."

"I noticed," Sora chuckled. "Well… if you want…"

"Just come on. I'm about to fall asleep here."

"Yes sir."

The bed was just barely big enough for the both of them, but Zack tucked almost-childlike into Sora's side and they were comfortable enough.

"I love you," Sora muttered into Zack's hair.

"I love you, too. And thank you." The man kissed his shoulder.

"Why?"

"I told you: you saved me."

-end-

**Sassy**: Wow, I choked myself up with that one… I just keep thinking about _my_ Zack and… waterworks, ugh.

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	32. Care

**Unexpected**

"**Care"**

"You look… well."

"Shut it, Leonhart," Zack grumbled, displeased with this entire situation. Leon smirked at Cloud, who simply rolled his eyes and pushed Zack forward in his wheelchair. Sora and Riku came up to them a minute later, Riku obviously amused at something, Sora fiddling with a stack of papers in his hand.

"Prince," Zack whined. "Can I go home now?"

"Almost," said Sora distractedly, he held up the papers. "There's this interesting little post-op care guide you need to go over."

Zack sighed. "Oh, fun."

"It is," Riku piped up, still smirking.

"Oh really?"

Sora fiddled the papers some more. "Riku read it while I was talking to the desk-lady. I don't know what he finds so funny."

Zack slouched in the chair, propping his arm up and resting his chin in his hand. "Oh well, what are my rules and how long until I can break them?"

"You're not breaking anything," Sora glared at him, pulling out the correct packet of information. "Okay… uhm… it says first of all that it will take six weeks to heal fully. During this time, you're not allowed to pick up anything weighing more than seven pounds."

"Nothing heavier than a moogle, got it."

"During the first week, nothing over two pounds."

"Nothing heavier than a kitten. Sure."

Sora glanced up at Zack, eyes narrowed. The man grinned widely at him. The teen shook his head and continued.

"You're not allowed to do any sort of activity involving pushing or shoving with your arms."

"Awesome. I don't have to help Leonhart rearrange his apartment."

"Avoid staircases."

"And hope like hell the elevator's not broken."

"Bathtubs are discouraged for two reasons: one, because they'll irritate your incisions; two, the hot water is likely to make you dizzy. Your incisions should be fully healed in a couple of days, but I don't want you passing out and drowning."

"How ironic would that be?"

"Very," Cloud muttered, lightly batting the back of Zack's head, who laughed. This really was all a big joke. Couldn't he just _go home_?

"Driving any sort of vehicle his discouraged," said Sora.

"No gummi trips for me… darn."

Sora smirked. "Nope, cause I'm not going anywhere for awhile. Don't change your sleep schedule, and on nights you plan on being up late, be sure to take a nap to ensure you get plenty of rest."

"Mmm… sounds nice, actually."

"And more quiet for the public," said Leon.

"Pace yourself when being active," Sora read on. "Rest when you feel fatigued, don't push yourself… common sense. Have a time set aside every day for the first two weeks when you just rest, napping not required."

"Excellent! I can make you watch all those movies you haven't seen with me!"

"Yes sir." Sora rolled his eyes. "Try to avoid becoming upset or angry, because this tenses you up and elevates your heart rate."

"Uh oh. Cloud, stay away from me for a few weeks!"

"Idiot," the blonde muttered. "It's probably not in your best interest to insult the guy who has control of your handicap chair."

"Ugh, don't remind me…" Zack really hated having to be carted around like an invalid.

"Then what do we say?"

"Deepest apologies, Mr. Strife."

"No doing anything that will elevate your blood pressure or increase heart rate," said Sora, "like strenuous labor or working with your arms above your head."

"That bathroom light still needs to be fixed too…"

"And that means no more squats for awhile," Leon said smugly. It was obvious how much he was enjoying this. He and Zack always seemed to have some sort of friendly rivalry.

"What? Nooo…"

"And you're not supposed to…" Sora trailed off and squinted at the page. "… there's an entire section on post-op sex…"

Zack slumped further into the chair. "Great… the one thing that could make this all better… and they take it away from me."

"Not entirely," said Riku, waving a hand at Sora, lips quirked upward. "Read on, please."

"Oh boy," Sora muttered, then cleared his throat. "Okay… no sexual activity of any sort one week after hospital discharge. Not that you should be feeling up to it anyway."

Zack crossed his arms and pouted pitifully. "I'm always feeling up to it," he muttered bitterly.

"Liar. What about all those times _you_ started something and then –"

"OKAY, Prince. No sex for a week. After that?"

Riku snorted with laughter, and Leon blinked. Cloud, used to the less-innocent side of this relationship, just rolled his eyes. If only Leon inhabited the apartment beside Zack's every time Sora came to visit…

"After that, no 'vigorous' sex for three weeks after discharge. Other methods aside from intercourse are not discouraged."

"In other words, you'll be the one going dry."

"Nope." The teen smirked. "I just have to do all the work. You don't have to move a muscle. After three weeks, just take it easy. If you don't feel up to it, don't do it… if you're heart rate gets too high or your chest starts hurting, stop… blah blah… And for six weeks after that - … Six weeks after that…" Sora squinted incredulously at the page he was hold.

"What?" Zack asked. Riku started laughing. "What, Prince?"

"Zack," Sora started slowly, "what the _heck_ is 'traumatic sex'?"

"Oh lord." Cloud pressed a hand to his temple. "I am not nearly old or drunk enough to be a part of this conversation."

"No, I think you're just old enough," Leon scoffed, fixing his eyes on Zack's stunned expression, overlooking Riku nearly rolling around on the floor. "Well, go on, Fair. Tell him."

Zack just blinked for a moment, then lowered his head with a chuckle. "I'll let you know in six weeks, Prince.

Sora frowned. "I'm not sure if I should take that as an answer, or be scared or not."

"Don't worry, Sora," said Riku, eyes shining with hilarity. "It's _lots_ of fun."

"… Anyway… that's all of it. We can go now, but first you have to sign a few things. I did to, as I'm to be your primary care-taker."

"You are?" Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have class?"

"My professors love me. 'Oh, of course, Sora! We don't mind if you take off some time to take care of your sick relative!' It's awesome."

"I'm still going to make you do your work," said Zack, grinning.

"I'll just do it all in the time we can't have sex since you're broken."

"…touché."

-end-

**Sassy**: Thank my love for this whole idea.

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	33. Meeting

**Unexpected**

"**Meeting"**

Sora sighed deeply and contentedly, rolling his shoulders and willing the muscles to relax. Aerith was an angel, letting him use her bathtub to wind down. It had been a long time since he was allowed a period of relaxation, even if it was no longer than a day or two.

They were getting so close to finding Ansem. _So close_, and Sora was only more motivated by finding Kairi and driven to find and help Riku. But no matter how much he wanted to plough forward and fight to the ends of the earth, he knew that his body would give out without proper time to recuperate. So he returned with Kairi to Traverse Town, and here he would stay until the time was right to go find Ansem once and for all.

Other thoughts he had were random and trivial until his water cooled and his skin pruned. Adequately relaxed, he agreed with the cool water that it was time to get out. The bathroom was small, but that was a testament to Aerith's living quarters; she was still residing in the hotel. This place was comfortable, Sora had to admit, but it was also somehow detached from the friends he had made. This was obviously not where they wanted to be. This only provided another reason to hurry up and take the Heartless threat out.

He toweled himself and his hair off and slipped into some comfortable clothes, for Aerith insisted on washing his other clothes. He didn't argue. A hard journey's grime had been collecting on them for awhile, and male though he was, he could appreciate clean clothes once in awhile.

Dispersing tendrils of steam followed him out of the bathroom and into Aerith's main room. She wasn't there. Intrigued but not alarmed, Sora stretched and proceeded to Leon's room. Only to find that he was absent as well. Sora frowned then. Where the heck was everyone?

Well, if everyone else was gone, Cid was bound to still be in his shop, so he headed that way, surprised when no Heartless showed to bother him. Well, he didn't want to fight anyway, he thought as he pushed open the doors to First District.

Immediately, he could tell something was up. Aerith was laughing her soft, tinkling laugh, and Yuffie was gabbing away at top speed, but he could only hear them, not see them – at least until he got around the moogle shop and could see what the commotion was.

He knew at once that someone new must have shown up, for the wayward inhabitants of Traverse Town were all gathered together. This was new for him; he'd never actually been here for a new arrival, but he grinned and approached, seeking out Kairi among the people.

She beamed when she saw him, and said in a low whisper, "He's so handsome!"

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Old friend of Aerith's. She almost fainted when she saw him!"

"Okay," he said, standing on his toes to try to see over the crowd. "Where is he?"

Leon must have heard him, for he said loudly over the commotion, "Sora, come over here."

It took a moment to find the older, but when he did, Leon put a hand on his shoulder and steered him forward, saying, "Here's the Keyblade Master." Sora heard him before he saw him.

"That little squirt? Wow, I'm impressed. Pleased to meet you, uhm…?"

"Sora," said the boy, finally locating the man in question. He noticed the weathered and battered black clothes first.

"Sora. Gotcha." After a moment, he came face-to-face with a pair of glowing violet eyes framed by raven hair.

"The name's Zack."

-end-

**Sassy**: It's been a hard week… two weeks… really hard day. So chew on this while I vegetate some more. By the way, I've been wanting to write this one for awhile.

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	34. Up

**Unexpected**

"**Up"**

Zack exhaled deeply, taking in the full feeling of the little surges of pleasure fluttering through his body. It was a nice change of pace for them, this gentle, relaxed lovemaking. It established a feeling of closeness and deepened their bond – giving and taking in a slow dance of the most primal nature, taking the time to fully judge the reactions of each other, soft touches lingering in more of a desire for closeness than sexual pleasure.

Since his heart surgery, Zack had been on a strict no-sex diet, implemented by Sora, who was too frightened that he might hurt Zack in some way. Four weeks after said surgery – which, admittedly, Zack hadn't really felt up to it until then – they were coiled together again, longing for a release from the stress of Zack's recovery.

And it had been _so long_ since they just let themselves feel the primal joy of skin-on-skin. Sora's body was warm and moist and tensed in all the right places. Zack sighed again and flexed his muscles, effectively bringing Sora closer. The boy nuzzled his chest, hands working over him. He breathed warm air at Zack's collarbone. Zack let a soft sound escape him as he gripped Sora's shoulders.

They continued this way for awhile, until Zack was writhing and gasping. "Prince," he moaned, tugging insistently at Sora's hand. The feelings and the warmth, the moisture, the desire and the pleasure all welled inside him like a tidal wave, and he clutched the boy, rasping, "Sora, please…"

So close… he shuddered, only wanting to feel more as Sora pressed closer, and Zack clutched at him – _so close_ – and then…

"Z-Zack… I can't get it up…"

-end-

**Sassy**: I hate when that happens, don't you?

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	35. Down

**Unexpected**

"**Down"**

Zack stared at the boy's half-panicked, half-embarrassed face, more than a little dumbstruck. "What?"

"It… I just can't…"

"You can't get it up…?"

"…no."

Zack fell back against the bed, raised his hands to his face, and roared in frustration.

--

"…I'm really sorry…"

"Nnngh."

"I don't know what's wrong with me."

Zack sighed. "It happens, Prince."

"To old men! I'm not old… you've never even had a problem."

"It happens to everyone. Sometimes."

"But…" Sora fidgeted about.

"It's fine, Sora."

"I'm still sorry."

"Nnngh."

--

Sora really had been sorry about his inability to perform, and it frustrated him just as much as it did Zack. They'd both been dry since Zack's surgery, the recovery taking more a toll on the both of them then they'd originally expected. And the first time they'd both felt up to it after four weeks, Sora's body malfunctioned. Wonderful.

He was making cookies now, a sort of apology in the form of sugar for his poor Zack. He nibbled on one as his new batch baked away. He'd cook dinner, but… well, Zack didn't need a charred apartment along with everything else going on. Or not going on, as the case was. Zack was out getting dinner right now – pasta and sesame chicken – and combine that with the cookies and they would have a nice little emo night. Since they couldn't do anything else. Sora sighed and bit into another cookie.

The door to the apartment suddenly burst open and banged off the wall, and Sora jumped off the counter to his feet, scattering cookies across the floor. Zack stomped in, glaring exasperatedly at him, left eye twitching. The boy gulped.

"Zack?"

The older man jerked his hand into the air, and Sora stared, for held between his thumb and forefinger was a blue pill. "Take it," he commanded, and his voice left no room for argument.

"Eh…" Sora eyed him and the little blue pill warily. "What… is it?"

"Viagra."

Sora's eyes widened hugely, while Zack continued glaring him down. "…what?" he squeaked.

"You heard me. Take it." Zack held it out to him.

"Zack, I don't know if –"

"Take the damn pill, Sora!!" Zack lunged, and Sora squawked in terror, diving away from him. The elder kept coming at him, and the boy frantically scrabbled away across the floor, flattening and crumbling cookies as he went. A brief thought that Zack shouldn't be exerting himself like this was lost and replaced with panic when Zack managed to grab hold of his right calve and drag him backwards.

"Zaaaack!" he cried, trying to claw his way free.

"Stop struggling and take it!"

"No!"

"Take it!"

"I don't want to!"

"I've been through major heart surgery." Sora was jerked backwards. "Preceded by months of debilitating pain." He was flipped over onto his back. "I've been sentenced to bed rest and non-strenuous activity ever since said surgery." Zack's blazing mako eyes loomed in front of his. "And I haven't had any in over a month. You ARE taking this pill!!"

Sora's scream of terror was choked off as Zack's hand found his mouth and shoved two fingers and the pill inside. He held them there for a moment and removed his fingers, but Sora could feel the pill resting in the back of his throat, threatening to make him gag.

"Swallow," Zack growled in the boy's ear, hand firmly holding his jaw shut and pressing lightly on his throat. His body's reaction won out over his will, and he swallowed.

He only had a chance to cough once at the feeling of swallowing a pill dry before Zack had him sitting up and pressed against the couch. He didn't know what would happen next, but he certainly wasn't expecting Zack's tongue to trace a delicate line from his jaw to his ear. Maybe he shouldn't have been expecting something like that… The sucking on his ear felt wonderful, but if he hadn't been in working order for the past few days, what meant he was going to be now?

The stirring in his belly told him that the pill had done its job already, though, and he moaned deeply as Zack pulled him up onto the couch and jerked his shirt over his head.

--

"I'm going to be sore."

Zack smirked and propped himself up on an elbow. "Not already?"

"No, still too numb."

"Good." He kissed Sora's forehead. "We fixed you."

The boy sighed a chuckle. "_You_ fixed me. Where the heck did you get Viagra, though? Or do I even want to know?"

Zack grinned hugely and lopsidedly. "Oh, that blue thing? That wasn't Viagra."

Sora's eyebrows disappeared into his hair. "What?"

"No, not Viagra."

"Then what was it?"

"A slightly altered Sweet Tart."

"… you shoved a Sweet Tart down my throat just so you could have sex with me?"

Zack nodded happily. "Uh huh!"

After a moment, Sora just started laughing.

-end-

**Sassy**: It's actually very easy to make a Sweet Tart look like a Viagra. Take a blue one and shave off some of the sides so it looks diamond shaped, then get it a little wet so it's stained darker blue. Tah dah, Viagra!

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	36. Saw

**Unexpected**

"**Saw"**

Riku yawned and tossed the remote at Sora. "I officially give up," he said, stretching out and sinking further into the couch. "Absolutely nothing on TV."

"This fails," said Sora, picking up the remote and flipping through a few channels. Being lazy was only made complete with a brain-melting marathon watching the idiot box. Unfortunately, they didn't care about wedding cakes, feline reproduction, or true stories from the ER. There wasn't even a violent movie to get the testosterone flowing. After scrolling three times through the movie channels, Sora saw a title he recognized, though had never watched, and – figuring he may as well – flipped to the channel, even if this particular movie happened to be the fourth installment in the series.

Riku's reaction to Sora's choice was delayed, but after a moment, the older teen sat up straight and stared at the TV, then at Sora.

"Uhm… hey, Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"Do… you even know what you just flipped over to?"

"Yep! Saw IV!"

"Exactly. Sora, you've never been able to handle gore and torture…"

"I know… but there's nothing else on." Sora gave him a lopsided grin, and Riku lifted a silver eyebrow.

"You're going to pass out five minutes in, you know that right?"

"You ever seen any of the Saw movies?"

"Nope. Had no interest whatsoever."

"Oh well," said Sora with finality. "I'm in the mood for some horror." He picked a pillow for the couch and held it in his lap.

"Fine. When you puke, I'm not cleaning it up."

--

Five minutes in, Sora had no passed out. Rather, he was completely hooked, and Riku was entirely disturbed. Sora would close his eyes when blood started spraying, but at every other moment, the boy's wide ocean eyes were glued to the screen.

Riku thought the movie was hokey and more than a little twisted. Sora thought the movie was pure genius, which was scary, as this was the Keybearer. Riku was very firmly of the opinion that anyone who could whoop your ass with a key should not be learned in the ways of torture.

As the credits started rolling, a spine-chilling laugh filled the room, and Riku was shocked (and pretty much scared shitless) to discover it was coming from Sora. The younger teen let his laughter die away and fixed narrowed eyes on Riku.

"Hello, Riku…" he said in a low, husky, and cold voice. "I want to play a game…"

"No!" Riku said, standing up and scowling. "I cannot even believe you like that movie…"

"I have given you the tools you need to survive…"

"Hey! Stop that!"

"But the choice is up to you…"

"You are so weird. I'm going to make some cookies."

"Live or die."

--

All the while Riku was making cookies, and pretty much for the rest of the afternoon, Sora kept leaving Riku little Jigsaw-esque notes about "making your choice." Riku wadded them all up and burned quite a few of them. And when he found a small tape player with his name on it, he smashed the damn thing right away, more than a little freaked out. Especially since he hadn't seen Sora in half an hour. When said teen reappeared carrying a stack of blank paper and a pencil, and began drawing out a design for some gruesome-looking device of torture, Riku decided it was time for an intervention. He pulled out his phone and dialed Zack's number.

"Hello?"

"Zack. Get your boyfriend."

"Riku?" Zack paused on the job. "What's wrong with Sora?"

"He's going freaking insane."

"Uhm… wait, how?"

"I'll let you see for yourself. Here."

Zack heard the phone transfer and then a chilling, low laughter.

"…Sora?"

"Hello, Zack," Sora purred coldly. "I want to play a game…"

-end-

**Sassy**: No, not the good kind of game either, Zack.

I understand that some (if not most) of you will not understand this. Well, I think you'd have to watch any of the Saw movies to understand. I've never been one for gore or horror, but randomly I decided to watch Saw IV when it came on a month or two ago… and I became totally obsessed. Yes, it's gory and twisted, but deliciously so and I love the entire series. With Sora being so happy and upbeat, I don't think it's a stretch for him to have one slightly twisted quirk in his personality. Because I certainly do. My girlfriend thinks I'm insane, but she only fuels my obsession. (She bought me the first 4 movies. X3) I highly recommend the series.

Review or die. The choice is yours.


	37. Interrupted

**Unexpected**

"**Interrupted"**

"Zack! ZACK! You HAVE to watch this part; it's AWESOME!" Sora bounced up and down on the couch, gesturing frantically at the TV screen. Zack winced as blood spattered and hit the ground, but Sora just laughed wickedly. "Wasn't that great!?"

"Uh… yeah, Prince."

"That was totally one of my favorite games! Isn't Jigsaw just awesome?" The boy beamed at the older man.

"He certainly is… an interesting character."

"You see his penis in the uncut version of the fourth one!"

"Well that's cool- wait… what?"

"IT'S AMAZING!"

"…"

Zack was seriously starting to regret buying those DVDs for Sora, but the boy was thoroughly enthralled, so he supposed he could put up with his boyfriend's new… twisted… obsession. The man chuckled a bit to himself, prompting Sora to turn his attention back to him.

"What?"

"Who would have ever thought the Keybearer would be completely obsessed with something like Saw?" Zack tugged on a lock of his hair. Sora, however, just beamed.

"Dunno, but now I have ways to get revenge upon my enemies!"

"…"

Sora's head fell into his lap. "Just kidding." He propped his feet up on the arm of the couch and grinned up at Zack, who lifted an eyebrow down at him.

"You're insane, Prince."

The boy laughed and gripped Zack's knee. "But you love me, and you fuel my insanity."

"True…" Zack looked back up at the TV. "It's… not a bad series. Just too twisted for my taste."

"Oh well. You don't have to like it."

They watched the movie a little bit longer, even though Sora had seen it multiple times. Zack tried to see the appeal in it… but sadly he just could not. So he put up with it for Sora's sake alone, trying not to think what would happen if Sora ever went Jigsaw on him.

It seemed, however, that Sora was very quickly losing interest in his Saw movie in favor of the lap his head was resting in. Zack knew this because one moment he was watching someone struggle for their life, the next he felt an insistent nudging between his legs. The source of the nudging proved to be Sora's nose. The teen was humming deep in the back of his throat, innocent blue eyes looking imploringly up at Zack, while his hand squeezed he knee lightly.

"I thought you wanted to watch twisted gore," said the older male, smirking a bit.

"No, I wanted _you_ to watch twisted gore. I want to…" He nudged hard. "…play."

Zack bit his lip, stomach stirring. "Knock yourself out, Prince."

Given his permission, Sora wasted no time, and halfway through Zack had the passing thought that having a teenager's head between your legs while watching Saw II was quite the interesting experience, but the thought was only fleeting and soon he wasn't aware of much else than Sora's task.

When Zack tensed, it was over shortly thereafter, and Sora lifted himself from Zack's lap and kissed him hard, prompting another groan from the man, who was – despite Sora's antics – ready for some real playtime.

Zack had just flipped Sora over on the couch and had his belt undone when they heard a honk from outside and a loud call of "SORA!" that sounded suspiciously like Riku.

"…you have got to be kidding me," Sora growled, lifting himself up just enough to look at the front door. Another honk.

"Hey, Sora!! Come out here!"

"Go AWAY, Riku!!" he yelled back, then yanked Zack down on top of him. They engaged in another passionate kiss, but a series of honks broke them apart. Sora, growling, leapt to his feet and stalked over to the door, clothes and hair ruffled to the point that no one could possibly mistake what Riku had interrupted. He jerked the door open.

"WHAT do you WANT!?"

"Jeeze, Sora, no need to shout. Might want to make yourself presentable in public too." Riku smirked at him from the driver's side of an old, slightly beaten teal truck. It (understandably) took Sora a moment to process the scene, and when he did, he immediately quit fuming. Rather, he moved onto staring dumbfounded. Zack sidled up behind him, less ruffled than Sora.

"Where… did you get that truck?" Sora asked, staring.

"Bought it. One of us needs a source of transportation that doesn't traverse gummi space."

"You… you bought a truck."

"Yep, Sora, yes I did."

"… you are aware that you are a gay man with a pickup truck?" Sora clarified. Zack, catching onto exactly where Sora was going, burst into peals of hilarious laughter and disappeared back inside the house.

"Yes, Sora, I am."

"… you have a Brokeback truck."

"I knew you'd say that." Riku shrugged and strummed his fingers along the steering wheel. "But think what you will, I love my truck."

"… you interrupted sex with Zack to tell me that you, a gay man, have just purchased a Brokeback truck."

Riku smirked. "Yes. Yes I did."

"…" Sora stared at Riku three more seconds before dropping to the ground and laughing hysterically.

-end-

**Sassy**: This spawned from a dream, and I swear the idea of Riku with a Brokeback Mountain-esque truck wouldn't leave me alone. Plus, Zack gets tortured by Saw this time. Mwahahaha.

Review or die… make your choice.


	38. Broken

**Unexpected**

"**Broken"**

"I still can't believe Riku has a Brokeback truck. It's not even a nice truck! It's an old beat-up-looking thing! I swear if he starts wearing a cowboy hat…"

Zack chuckled from his sprawled position on the couch, only in his baggy shorts. "If he does, you'll laugh your ass off. Again."

"Well… yeah, but…" Sora huffed and shoved the DVD into the player. He stretched, then, as the DVD was loading, and Zack didn't miss the chance to ogle the boy. He, too, was shirtless, just his black pants slung about his hips, held up feebly with a belt Zack had already taken off him once today. His muscles had developed nicely over the past year, cording and bulging ever so slightly across his body… Zack smirked. Sora was quiet the sexy eighteen-year-old.

"You're staring at me, and as appreciated as it is, you need to watch this damn movie." Sora flounced back to the couch and sat on Zack's hard stomach, pressing play on the remote. Zack rubbed the boy's back with nimble fingers.

"Yes sir. I can always stare at you later."

And that was how Zack saw the unrated director's cut of Saw IV, Jigsaw's penis and all, and while Sora cooed away the brilliance, Zack became just ever more disturbed.

--

Of course, just because Zack was disturbed, he didn't get to get out of Sora's choice of background noise for house chores the next day, namely Saw III, which Zack probably liked the least of the four he'd seen. Blood and guts were okay, but liquefied pig corpses made him gag more than a little. But Sora hummed as he went about washing dishes and straightening the house, pausing to watch the action unfold some more and laughing when something gruesome happened.

Zack was glad to turn on the vacuum and block the sound out… or, he was until he was finished and had to press the off switch. He was pleasantly surprised to hear silence, and hummed a little himself.

Until a pair of surprisingly strong arms locks around him and there was heavy breathing in his ear.

"Hello, Zack… I want to play a game…"

"Damnit, Sora!" he bleated and shoved the boy away. The named young man cackled and flashed him a toothy grin.

"Sorry. Couldn't resist…"

"I don't know which I should be more scared of: your inability to resist or the fact that you can impersonate that voice so well…"

"Be scared of both. That way you won't totally flip out when I go insane."

"… you're not going insane."

Sora smirked. "You better hope not."

Before Zack had found his voice again, the doorbell rang, and Sora skipped off to answer it. Zack stood there, trying not to let his mind process the thought of what would happen should Sora ever truly go insane… The boy had already had his brushes with depression… Okay… make some cookies. Keep him on sugar. Now.

--

Soon as Sora opened the front door, a pair of bright eyes and an even brighter smile met him. "Hi, Sora!"

"Hey, Selphie. What's up?"

"Nothing… okay, well, there's that mini-parade in the town square this weekend, right?"

"Yeah…"

"And, well, it's a lot of work to make the floats and get everything together…"

"… I'm being drafted into helping work on the float, aren't I?"

"Nooo, I know you want your alone time with Zack!" She smirked. "Anyone would… I just need some help moving all the stuff I bought at the store to my house. It'd take me, like, a million trips! And I'd get Tidus and Wakka to help but they're working on their own float and hope my float fails! So… pretty please?"

Sora laughed, and reached for his discarded shoes. "Sure, Selphie." He slipped them on and stuck his head back inside the house. "Zack! I'll be back in a minute!"

The call of "Don't go Jigsaw on me while you're gone!" made Selphie give him a perplexed look, but Sora just shrugged and ran along with her to help move the materials.

--

When Zack couldn't find the ingredients to make cookies, he settled for chocolate pudding and rice crispy treats instead. While he wasn't sure if feeding Sora sugar would make him more like Jigsaw or less like Jigsaw, it was worth a try. Maybe this obsession was going a bit far. Zack would make him watch Happy Feet tonight. Yes… dancing penguins… no torture.

Sora was gone longer than Zack expected. He could only imagine was sort of float Selphie was creating. Maybe watching the parade would be fun, so long as there were fireworks afterwards. He liked fireworks.

Zack was putting away Sora's clothes upstairs when he heard laughing and looked out the window. Sora was walking across the street with Selphie prancing along head, both of them giggling merrily. He grinned down at them, glad to see Sora spending time with his friends. Not that the boy usually ignored them… but he was more inclined to spend the day locked away with Zack as opposed to out with his friends. It was progress. He began singing to himself as he stored away all the clothes, but it was as he went to put away the last pair of socks that he heard something… quite unexpected.

A girl screamed, car tires squealed, and there was a shout of pain. Zack's head shot up. All of this was followed by someone yelling, "Sora!!" and Zack's blood turned to ice. He ran over to the window… and thought his heart was going to stop.

Lying on the pavement face-up and half underneath Riku's old truck was Sora, face twisted in pain.

-end-

**Sassy**: Leave a review?


	39. Bruised

**Unexpected**

"**Bruised"**

Riku was still shaking.

It happened too fast for him to react much… He had been driving to Sora's when a crush of his – a tall sandy-haired, firm-jawed pretty boy – waved to him and winked from the sidewalk… in those few – okay, more than a few – moments in which he took his eyes off the road to wink and wave back, he hadn't expected Sora and Selphie to be crossing the street, and by the time he'd rounded the corner and looked up to see his best friend _right there_ and slammed the breaks, it was too late. A thud and a scream later, Sora went down and out of Riku's sight.

He panicked and leapt from the truck, leaving the thing to idle without him, and looked down. The first thing he noticed was he hadn't actually run over Sora… he wasn't under a wheel… but the younger teen was still laying there, eyes closed and teeth gritted in pain. Before Riku could do much more than bend over, Zack shot out of Sora's front door and shoved him out of the way, checking Sora over just once before scooping him into his arms.

"Hospital?" he questioned Selphie, and she, wide-eyed and trembling, pointed in the general direction of the town's hospital. Then he turned his face toward Riku and _snarled_. "Let's go."

Zack ran there and made it before Riku and his truck. The nurses wheeled Sora away on a stretcher not long after Zack burst through the emergency room door and explained that he'd been hit by a car. Two seconds after Sora was out of sight, Zack Fair turned wrath of a SOLDIER First Class on Riku.

Riku had never been so scared in his life, honestly, for Zack was very obviously out for his blood. Instead of screaming or berating in the waiting room, he picked Riku up _by the scruff of his neck_ and escorted the silver-haired teen outside, where he then began the berating and screaming… which was as threatening as it was eloquent. Zack never uttered one single curse word, not even when Riku pleaded his case that he'd been distracted by his crush, though he was sure the man was about to explode at that excuse. There was screaming, though.

Face red and eyes glowing with mako poison, he let the teenager have it. Passersby stared, wide-eyed and frightened at the pure fury rolling off the man, but it wasn't just the screaming that scared the hell out of Riku. Zack knew how to successfully disarm and tear apart without even touching him, and even though Riku knew he'd never follow through with any of his threats – "_If you weren't Sora's best friend…_" – he was shaking and more than a little numb when Zack snarled at him for the last time and stalked away back into the waiting room.

Now he sat in the waiting room – across from Zack because the man certainly wasn't going to let him sit next to him. Selphie burst in not too long after, Tidus and Wakka in tow, crying and pleading with Zack to forgive her.

"I should have never bothered him! I'm sorry, Zack! I didn't know! Don't hate me!"

Zack assured her with a pained smile that it wasn't her fault, he didn't blame her, and he certainly didn't hate her. After saying this however, he sent Riku another angry look. Riku stared at the floor. Wakka and Tidus sat down next to him, but Selphie sat next to Zack. It was quiet for a while after that, and even though no more than twenty minutes passed, it felt like an eternity to Zack especially.

A smiling nurse came through the doors and asked which one of them was Zack Fair. Zack sprung to his feet, and she explained the situation.

"We've done tests on Mr. Faustos. His status is stable and his numbers are normal, but we're concerned he could have some broken ribs which could puncture an organ and cause some internal bleeding, so we've taken him to get some x-rays."

"And if he does have broken ribs?" Zack asked.

"Treatment is simple enough, but we'll let you know when we have the x-rays back."

With another smile, she was gone. Zack, only slightly comforted, sunk back in the chair. Selphie bit her lip, eyes swimming with tears again, and patted Zack's arm.

After another few minutes, Kairi arrived, and she – unlike Zack – had no issue about where she told Riku off. She didn't scream quite as much, but the stream of curses from the young girl had every eye in the room wide-eyed and on her. She ended her tirade with, "If, by chance, I manage to locate and dig up what little smidgeon of you is left after Zack's had at you if something horrible is wrong with Sora, you will wish with every last fiber of your previously existing being that he had taken the time to fully and completely annihilate you!"

Riku had a feeling no one would love him for awhile.

So they waited, and after another half hour, the smiling nurse returned, and everyone rose to their feet.

"We've taken the x-rays now. No broken or even cracked ribs; Mr. Faustos is very lucky. He's only suffered some bruising on his ribs. We've given him some painkillers to help keep the ache away." She handed Zack a piece of paper. "That's the prescription for the painkillers. It'll get him enough for two weeks with additional refills as he needs them." Zack nodded. "Okay, well, we'll send him up here in a minute. He's had strict orders to take it easy for at least a week while he heals." The nurse left again, leaving Zack very relieved… Just bruised ribs? Yes, Sora was very lucky… and the boy healed fast enough. He could breathe again.

But just because he could breathe, he wasn't going to let Riku off the hook. He rounded on the teen with narrowed eyes and thrust the paper with prescription at him. "Go get it, and be fast about it." Riku didn't meet his eyes as the silvered teen took the paper and fled the waiting room. The others stood around, not talking, just glancing at the clock, until the double doors opened again and Sora came out. He grinned rather tiredly at them.

"Hey guys," he said, rubbing the back of his head. Zack's eyes softened at the sight of him completely intact, if favoring his mid-torso a bit. The man resisted the urge to grab the boy and carry him away to safety, and just helped with the paperwork Sora had to fill out.

Sora looked around the room then whispered to Zack, "Where's Riku?"

"If I said I killed him, would you hate me?" Zack whispered back.

"Yes."

"Then he's gone to get your prescription like I told him to."

Sora fixed his frustrated baby blues on his boyfriend. "Zack… you know he didn't mean to."

"That doesn't mean he didn't do it. You really aren't angry at him at all?"

"No, I'm not." Sora crossed his arms. "It was an accident."

Zack snorted. "I didn't cause him bodily harm… just let him know that if his lapse in judgment caused you pain ever again, no one will ever find his body. Or what will be left of it."

Sora sighed and nodded, signing in the last blank on the payment form, and he couldn't have been happier in his parents' choice in health insurance. Ugh… that wasn't a phone call he was looking forward to – "Yeah, mom, dad… my best friend just ran me over in his Brokeback truck and I have bruised ribs." – because this would give them another reason to try to get Sora to move back home. Sora was very happy with his nice little house, thanks.

"Okay, you're done, Sora," said the woman behind the desk. "If you have any complications, don't hesitate to call us."

Sora nodded and with Zack standing close by like an over-protective guard dog, he left the hospital, friends in tow. His ribs ached only slightly as he walked, the heavy painkiller doing its job. He looked around but saw no sign of Riku.

He had a feeling that his ribs weren't the only things that were bruised.

-end-

**Sassy**: Oh come on, you all know Sora's tougher than that. Getting hit by a truck won't keep him down for long.

Leave a review?


	40. Stains

**Unexpected**

"**Stains"**

Sora's ribs were tender and achy, and he wanted his blessed pain medication. Lying on his back on the couch, he couldn't quite reach his water or prescription bottle on the coffee table, and Zack was gone to the grocery store. Mer…

The boy dejectedly flipped through the TV channels. His injured ribs were slowly getting better, but he needed regular doses of pain medication to feel completely comfortable. And right now he wasn't exactly comfortable. He whined to himself – he was hungry too.

He lay there, suffering dramatically, for half an hour until Zack returned, laden with grocery bags of Sora's favorite foods. The man hummed a cheerful tune as he kicked the door shut behind him.

"Zaaaack," Sora moaned pathetically. For good measure, he added a whimper of pain, the kind he knew really affected Zack, and the man was immediately kneeling by the couch and stroking Sora's hair.

"What's wrong, Prince?" he asked, eyes wide and sympathetic. "In pain?" Sora nodded, bottom lip protruding and hand outstretched hopelessly to his medicine, fingers flailing inches from the bottle.

The scene was so unbearably and pathetically cute that at that moment, Zack almost forgave Riku for running his Prince over. Almost.

"My poor baby," he crooned softly, stroking Sora's hair once more then reaching for the meds and water. Sora whimpered again for good measure when Zack helped him sit up enough to wash the pain pills down with a nice dose of cold water. Sora may have been exaggerating his pain just a _little_ bit… but it got him that extra little bit of attention from Zack, and that was totally worth the melodrama.

"Are you hungry?" Zack asked, stilling petting the boy's hair.

"A little… not right now, really."

"Okay, anything you want?"

Sora's bottom lip stuck out a bit further and his wide blue eyes became shiny. "I was thinking… that a hot bath would be nice."

"Ooh, that does sound nice." Zack smiled at him. "Want me to run you some hot water?"

"Yes, please…"

"Okay, Prince." He kissed the boy's forehead and rose to his feet.

"Hey, Zack?"

"Hmm?"

Sora grinned mischievously. "I'll take a bath only if you get in with me."

"That can be arranged…" Zack's grin matched Sora's, and he hurried off to the master bath to draw the hot water. When the tub was filling up nicely, he went to the kitchen, poured some ice water, and returned to Sora, who was still sprawled on his back on the couch. The boy threw another puppy-eyed look at him.

"Bath's filling up, Prince. Time to get in."

"Okay… uh, can you help me up?"

Zack chuckled, then with one hand, scooped Sora up and into his arms, pressing the cool glass of ice water into the boy's hands. Sora blinked upon realizing the maneuver was performed as easily as if he were Styrofoam, and peered up at Zack.

"I forget sometimes that you were in the military."

"And that's why I take pleasure in reminding you."

"Of course you do." The pout was lost in a smile as Zack hauled him gently to the master bath, where billows of steaming water were collecting in the tub. Warmed at just the sight, Sora nuzzled Zack's neck. The man smiled, and began undressing him slowly, taking his time to throw the discarded clothes into a neat pile on the floor, taking care to avoid the sensitive skin around the boy's healing ribs, and when Sora was devoid of all articles of clothing, Zack helped him into the large tub of warm water.

"Mmm… nice," Sora muttered, sinking in up to his neck, letting the warm water rush over his taught skin and healing ribs. This was therapy he could deal with. He looked up through half-lidded eyes at Zack, who stood fully-clothed and hence at fault. "C'mon in."

Zack grinned and formed his own neat pile of clothes beside Sora's, very aware of the boy's hungry eyes roving over every part of his exposed flesh, so when he dropped his slacks, he turned from the boy, smirking at the little noise of disappointment he issued. He kicked them off into the pile as well and smirked over his shoulder at the pouting boy.

"Zaaaack…"

"Whaaat?"

"Don't tease me."

With a chuckle, the man complied and turned, taking his careful time stepping over the rim and into the warm water. Sora, appeased, smiled and reached out a hand to trace Zack's strong thigh muscles, digging his fingers gently into the firm skin, and as Zack slid down in front of him into the water, he moved closer. When Zack was sufficiently sunk in the water, he wrapped his arms around the man's neck and settled in his lap.

"Feel good, Prince?" Zack asked, rubbing Sora's back. The boy nodded and closed his eyes, pressed close to his love, and, entwined together, they stayed there for awhile, comforted by the warm water. Sora's ribs, still tender, were okay for now, and because his pain had gone away – and because he was pressed so intimately against Zack – he felt arousal stirring in his belly. His lips quirked and pressed against Zack's neck. His arms wrapped more securely around his shoulders to give him leverage as his lips planted a moist and cool trail up to his ear.

Zack's pleasured sigh was all the encouragement Sora needed, so, careful not to twist his torso too much, he continued with the torturing tails of kisses up and down the man's neck, from his ears down to his chest and up again. A smile that was lost in damp skin turned to a frown when the man he was lavishing in kisses started laughing.

"What?" he demanded, puppy eyes big and blue and annoyed.

"Nothing, Prince." Zack tousled Sora's damp spikes of hair. "You're just so cute. All in pain one minute and horny the next."

Sora pouted at him angrily for a moment, then smirked and flicked his eyes to the tile just behind the man's shoulder. "Meanie. I hope that spider on the wall bites you."

"Oh, you know I was teas-… spider? What spider?"

"That one right there." Sora pointed at the tile – where there really was no spider. "It's kinda big…"

"Sora, I swear to Shiva if there's a spider, I will throw you out of the way, hurt ribs or not."

The boy burst out laughing, the force of his fit sloshing the warm water around and over the edge of the bathtub. Zack, face screwed up in an angry half-pout-half-glare, looked over his shoulder at the spider-less tile, eyed it for a moment longer for good measure, then glared at Sora as the boy continued laughing. Zack's fear of the fit hurting his ribs was replaced with the savage hope that the fit _would_ hurt his ribs. Just a little, anyway.

When the peals of laughter died away, Sora looked up at him with sparkling, happy eyes, and Zack couldn't stay mad, so he grinned, rolled his eyes and muttered, "Silly Prince…" All traces of arousal gone – for the moment – Sora again snuggled against his chest, and they soaked in the cooling water for awhile after that.

It was only when Sora readjusted once, only to discover just how cold the water had become and how completely pruned his fingers and toes were that they stood up and stepped out. His ribs were feeling better now, but the pain medication had made him lethargic. And now he was hungry. So he wrapped his arms about Zack's neck while the man toweled off his own, then Sora's, damp hair.

"What now, Prince?" he asked, patting Sora's skin dry with the fluffy towel. His mako eyes studied the boy. "You look tired; you should probably lie down."

Sora nodded against his chest and muttered, "Hungry." Zack laughed.

"Okay, okay. Here." He handed Sora the towel to finish drying off. "You go get dressed in comfy clothes, I'll fix you something."

"Sushi?" Sora asked hopefully, eyes bright.

"Of course."

Zack strutted off to the kitchen, only a towel slung around his hips, while Sora smiled happily and hurried to find pajamas to indulge himself in. He pulled on a palm-tree patterned tee with matching pajama pants, noting the sore pang that spread down through his ribcage when he stretched his arms over his head. It hurt, but the edge on the pain had gone away. His medicine was doing its job fine. With a smile, he rubbed at the sore spot and merrily made his way to the kitchen.

Zack was shoveling rice into the rice cooker, still in just a towel, a few drops of moisture still glistening on his taut skin. Sora admired the sight, smiling softly.

"It'll take a bit for me to get this down," said Zack, tongue stuck out one side of his mouth as he fiddled with the rice cooker. "Never used one of these things before. And I'm not good at cooking rice over the stove."

"That's okay," said Sora. He glanced out the window. "I can wait a little… oh-em-gee!! Zack!! It's raining!"

Zack turned to the boy, eyebrow raised. "'Oh-em-gee'?"

Sora ignored him. "Hee! Can we go play in it? Please?"

"Prince, you have severely bruised ribs…"

"Please??"

"And if you catch a cold, sneezing and coughing won't help them feel better…"

"PLEASE!?"

"…okay, okay, just be careful."

"No! You're coming with me!"

And Zack was suddenly jerked away from the rice cooker and across the kitchen, Sora determinedly tugging him along to the back door. He stumbled when the boy let go of him and darted, laughing, across the wet grass, toward the wet sand and slowly churning ocean. Zack stood there, under the awning so he stayed dry, and secured his towel around his waist as he watched Sora run around like a three-year-old, hands in the air, giggling. All over a rainstorm. Wow.

"Zaaack! Come on! Play with me!"

"Why?" he called back to the boy, who had paused on the wet grass, pouting angrily with rainwater dripping in great cascades off of his soggy spikes of hair.

"Because!"

"Because why?"

Zack broke out into a smirk when Sora stomped over to him and insistently shoved him out from under the dry awning. Even the first few drops of rain to hit him managed to get him soaking – such was the downpour. Sora, pleased with himself for getting Zack wet all over again, darted off away from him, giggling again. Zack, though, now that he was wet anyway, wasn't going to let Sora get away from him, so he gave chase.

Sora shrieked when Zack grabbed him carefully around the waist and held him still against his bare chest. Giggling, the teenager squirmed and elbowed his way out of the grip, which Zack only relinquished in fear of hurting his ribs, but Sora cackled and ran off again, and Zack took up the chase again. After only a few minutes, Zack could tell how much the boys ribs were _not_ bothering him… if he judged by the way Sora darted and crouched down and shot out from under his grip numerous times.

In fact, Zack was starting to feel a like a fool; he just couldn't get his hands on the boy. He was putting his SOLDIER training to shame… He paused for a moment, tying the towel around his hips tightly, then ran full throttle toward the cackling Keybearer, who eep'd and ran off in the opposite direction, but with Zack now holding nothing back, Sora was caught quickly.

Of course, it was a narrow catch that made them both hit the soggy ground hard and roll a few feet away from where they landed, but it was a catch nonetheless.

Zack, worried that Sora might have been hurt, moved immediately to jump to his feet, but a pair of lithe arms around his neck prevented it. Sora tugged his head back down and kissed him with all the passion the boy could possibly muster, and Zack, noting the way Sora's hips ground against his, became less worried and much more excited. He kissed the boy back.

Maybe it was the traumatic incident Sora had just suffered, maybe it was the medication he was on, or maybe it was just his teenage hormones, but Zack didn't miss just how aroused he really was. Smirking, he pressed close, careful of Sora's ribs. The boy made a noise into his mouth and broke the kiss, fingers digging sharply into Zack's back.

"Prince…" Zack murmured against the boy's cheek, sliding a hand under the loose t-shirt along his side then down, dipping beneath the waistline of the sweatpants. Sora gasped softly when the warm fingers brushed his sensitive flesh, and he whimpered when a warm palm rubbed agonizingly slowly up and down.

"Nice and ready, huh?" breathed the man above him, lips dancing along his neck with every word. Zack's tongue replaced his lips, and the soft groan that was his reward pushed him further, and he gripped the boy in with a firm fist and kneaded the hard flesh. Another pleasured noise from Sora only encouraged him.

Maybe it was the medicine, maybe it was the overall sensitivity of his healing body, or maybe it was just the abstinence from sex for – say it ain't so – a week, but Sora didn't last long at all, and within minute, he was riding out his ecstasy and choking a cry against the older man's neck. Zack smiled, removing his hand from Sora's pants and wiping the wet ground to clean his hand. The boy was panting hard into his ear, arms still locked tight around his neck. He sighed, then made another, more disgruntled noise, as he shifted his legs.

"My PJ's have grass stains on them now…"

Zack laughed and sat back on his haunches. They were both soaking wet. "They'll come out in the wash. You still hungry?"

-end-

**Sassy**: I apologize for the stagnancy of this story. It's been rough for me. But anyway, here's your new chapter to enjoy, given with the hope that the next update won't take so long.


	41. Reset

**Unexpected**

"**Reset"**

"But what if I start hurting again?"

"You have your pain medicine, and Riku is going to check on you every day… from a distance."

"Well, what if it gets too hard to go to class?"

"Avoid the staircases. You'll be fine."

"What if I get hungry?"

"…walk to the fridge…"

The pout on Sora's face was the biggest and most pathetic he could possibly muster, yet still, Zack was throwing all his scattered belongings back into the bag Sora had so desperately wished they'd both forgotten about. Sora's ribs were healing fine, and apart from occasional stiffness in the torso area, he felt no pain. This was good, because in a week his college classes would resume for the spring semester, and he needed to be healthy. This also meant, however, that Zack had work to do, so he had to return to Radiant Garden.

"Don't give me that look," said Zack, tossing a t-shirt into the bag.

"But… but…"

"Shush." Zack reached over and stroke Sora's hair. "You'll be fine. I promise."

"I still don't want you to go."

"I know. I don't want to go."

They fell into stony silence, Zack still folding and packing and Sora pouting. Zack knew the boy would be heartbroken when he left, but it had to be done. Zack still had a job at the restoration, and it was time he went back to finish it all up.

"Don't pout, Prince," he said, shoving the last bit of his clothes into the bag and zipping it up. He turned to the boy now and grinned. "We're in the final stretches of the restoration, you know?"

"You are?"

"Yep. Leon's so pleased with himself. Of course, just because we're almost done with the restoration doesn't mean that work stops there. Once that's done, it's time to build new things."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, Leon's also got plans for that now."

Sora gave a half-hearted smile, which prompted Zack to tug the boy into his arms and crush him with a hug.

"Know what, Prince?"

"What?"

"My contract with Leon? It's only good throughout the duration of the restoration."

"… what does that mean?"

"That means once the restoration is completed, I don't technically have a job anymore."

"… and…?"

"Well… then we don't have to worry about me always having to leave. I could… maybe stay here until you finish school?"

"… that would be awesome!" Sora smiled hugely and wrapped his arms around Zack's neck.

"I thought you'd like the idea, Prince." He rubbed the teenager's back comfortingly. "But… it's time for me to go…"

"Yeah… I know."

--

Sora sat outside, looking up into the sky where only minutes ago he could still see Zack's mint-green gummi ship flying off into the cosmos. He sighed sadly to himself, rubbing idly at his ribs. He supposed now he had to find something to do. The only problem was that nothing sounded appealing to him at all.

He supposed it was good now that Zack would soon be free of work. Then they could be together all the time. Maybe once Sora finished college they could move to Radiant Garden together. Or maybe they'd stay here…

He smiled a bittersweet smile. Well, until then, they were back to where they started: finding time amidst schoolwork and construction work to spend weekends and odd days together. Back to the days of talking via inter-world phone devices. Back to lonely nights curled up alone in a cold and unfriendly bed. Back to arguing more because the strain of separation was that little extra bit of "too much" to deal with. The smile fell from his face.

He really hated when it all reset.

-end-

**Sassy**: Call this a post-emo piece. 0.o But look at it in a hopeful manner, because I don't want to spoil anything, but it's about to get bad for the boys.

Leave a review and tell me how you liked/hated it?


	42. Elegy

**Unexpected**

"**Elegy"**

Sora could see the appeal in Riku's Brokeback truck once he was behind the wheel. He felt both comfortable and empowered. And kinda gay.

He snickered to himself as he pressed the gas pedal, feeling the ancient machine purr all around him. Definitely gay, but Sora couldn't afford his own vehicle right now, and loans were only given to folks who'd been in possession of a license for years. Sora had only had his a week.

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, humming along with the radio. All in all, he was in an excellent mood. It was Friday and he was on his way home from class with a pretty sweet weekend ahead of him. It was chilly – winter was only just dying away – but the weather was perfect for a brisk walk down the beach. When he got home, he was sure that would be just what he would do.

He was just about halfway home when, as he was coming to a stop sign, a police motorcycle drove up and stopped just in front of him, holding up a hand to keep him stopped. Sora, puzzled, nodded and kept his foot pressed on the break, glancing down the way from which the officer had come.

There was a hearse first, and it was followed by a line of cars like Sora had never seen. Every single car was stuffed full of people, too, and it was obvious that whomever's funeral procession this was… he or she had many, many friends. Some were crying; some were stoic; some were even smiling…

As Sora sat waiting for the procession to pass, he couldn't help pondering… why do people cry when someone dies? Why shouldn't they smile? Was a funeral supposed to be something of mourning loss or celebrating life? What was the proper way to react?

He stared down the endless line of cars as his mind wandered further. What would happen when he died? If we was killed by Heartless? If he aged naturally to the end of his life? And who would be in _his_ funeral procession? Would the friends he'd made gather on his home world? Would they have their own moments of silence on their own worlds? Would they do anything at all?

…And what about Zack? Riku? Kairi? His distant but still ever-enduring parents? What would they do? How would their lives change without him?

He watched the cars go by, mind falling into blankness, overridden it seemed by morbid questions that had never plagued him before. It wasn't long after that, though, until the final car had passed him. With a wave, the officer drove on, and so Sora did the same, mood now mellow.

And as he drove, he felt something dark stirring in his heart.

-end-

**Sassy**: I was stopped a funeral procession quite a while ago and scribbled down my own thoughts on the matter. Funerals are tricksy things… _"Oh leave me not in this eternal woe, For if though diest, my love, I know not where to go." – John Keats_


	43. Sun

**Unexpected**

"**Sun"**

"Zack… Zack…"

"Mrrrph…"

"Zack, wake up."

"Wha…?"

"Zack… the sun's out."

"It's morning… sun does that."

"No! I mean, it's out like a light… it's not shining."

"That means it's still dark out, Sora… go back to sleep."

"No! Zack! Wake up! It's ten a.m., and it's dark outside! Something's wrong!"

"Eclipse?"

"We thought so too… until freaky shit started happening."

"Freaky… what the hell is going on?"

And, indeed, when Sora dragged Zack out of the apartment by his belt-loops, some freaky shit greeted them at the door. …Did that thing just slap its ass at them?

"Sora… what are those things?"

"Not Heartless. And not anything anyone's ever seen, really…"

"They look… like the demons on the scrolls I saw in Wutai."

"In what?"

"Wutai. It's –"

One of the creatures – small, monkey-like, and fast – grabbed Zack's hair and pulled him down onto the ground. The man yelped and scrambled around, back onto his feet, just as Sora whacked the thing on top of its head with his Keyblade. This attack did absolute nothing aside from making the paper on its face flutter and aggravate the little demon. It pounced against and both Zack and Sora beat a hasty retreat. It lost interest in him quickly… but then they watched in dawning horror as it walked about and _sucked the color_ from the world around it. No, this wasn't a Heartless. This was something entirely different and quite possibly much worse.

"They're multiplying!" came Leon's voice. He was running full tilt toward them, Gunblade drawn and firing to no avail.

"And it's getting darker!" Cloud shouted from… somewhere. It was too dark to see. Ironic, Sora thought bitterly.

A screech filled their ears and suddenly more of the creatures were upon them, twice as much ass-slapping this time around. The most they were able to do was fight them back, not destroy them, and the situation was fast becoming critical, especially since the mist the creatures had brought was quickly draining them all of their energy.

But as Leon raised his Gunblade to fire a desperate shot at the largest of the creatures, suddenly, the sun came back. The brilliant rays cut through the dark, colorless mist, reenergizing the fighters and freezing the demons in their tracks. The things looked up, stunned at the bright light, shrieking, and amid the noise came a whooshing sound. Sora looked around, but could see no cause for the noise, aside from the swirling red and black noxious aura.

Sudden as the sun returning, the demons and the colorless aura disappeared, leaving the world of Radiant Garden as it had been yet, in place of it all, there stood… a wolf. Sora stared at it… glowing white with red streaks etched randomly into the glowing blindness. And that shield-thing on its back… what was that thing?

"Hey, look! A dog!" Zack said, surprised. "Is it okay?"

"That's not a dog, Zack, that's a wolf," said Leon, narrowing its eyes at it. "Since when has there ever been a wolf on this world?"

"And one that looks like that…" Sora muttered.

"Yeah, white wolves are rare," said Zack. "Even around our old world."

"I've seen white wolves, just not ones with those marking and that thing on its back."

"Uhm… Prince, are we looking at the same wolf?"

"There's only one wolf there…"

Then, the wolf in question yawned and laid down on the ground, apparently ready for naptime. Cloud, Yuffie, Aerith, and Cid walked up behind them, all of them, too, staring at the new arrival.

But even as the others discussed what this was, what the random wolf could mean, and what was special about the white wolf – for Sora quickly realized that he was only one that was seeing the red markings and shield upon its back – something chimed in Sora's head, a noise that echoed deep in his heart.

"_Amaterasu_," it resounded.

The wolf looked up at him and tilted its – her, his heart told him – head, tail flumping a little on the asphalt. Sora looked back at her then said aloud:

"Amaterasu…"

The wolf jumped to her feet, tail wagging, barking happily, and as they all watched in amazement, she jumped into the air, curling over herself in a flip of joy. With barely a pause after she hit her feet against, she bounded over to Sora, paws on his shoulders, and licked his face. Sora laughed.

"Why does it suddenly like you so much?" Leon asked.

"I think I got her name right," said Sora, still laughing in the midst of the wolfie hug.

And from that day on, for the next ten plus years, Sora found a companion in the Light.

-end-

**Sassy**: I debated this for awhile. I don't like doing add-ins and such – aside from FF and KH games – but I love Amaterasu so, and she'll play quite a roll later on. For those of you who don't know, Amaterasu is from the game Okami. And I will be referring to her as female, despite the gods of Okami having no gender. It's easier and Amaterasu can be a girl if she wants to be. 8P


End file.
